JP2001101283A - Information exchange system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To extend communication by exchanging information via an agent where the personality of a user is reflected. SOLUTION: The user sets the agent via the setting part 23 of a client PC 21. Feature information reflecting the personality of the user is inputted to the agent. The set agent is registered in an agent management database 7 by the register part 3 of a server 1. A movement part B moves the agent at every prescribed time by referring to a node link database 8 and a node database 9. An information exchange part 5 judges an inter-agent affinity by referring to an affinity degree judging database 10 based on feature information. The agents exchange information in accordance with the affinity degree. The result of information exchange is reported to a user by an electronic mail which is created in a report part 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information exchange system for exchanging information through an agent reflecting a user.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the remarkable progress and spread of computer technology and network technology, many users are connected to a wide area network such as the Internet to exchange information. For example, a user may have WWW (Wo
Information can be obtained by browsing various contents provided on a web server through an rld-Wide Web) browser. The user can also exchange information with specific or unspecified people individually by sending and receiving electronic mail. Further, the user will be able to obtain desired information by participating in an electronic conference dealing with a specific theme such as a hobby or a job.

[0003]

As described above, a user can interact with friends, acquaintances, or strangers by using a web browser, electronic mail, or the like, and can exchange information.

[0004] However, the virtual world constructed on the network is vast, and a very large number of various people come and go, and are filled with a lot of information mixed with cobblestones. Therefore, it is difficult to find a good friend on the network or obtain necessary information. In the case of technical information, etc., you can obtain information by using the search service, but finding new friends on the network is
Just as hard as getting a new friend in the real world, or even more.

[0005] In particular, beginners who have just connected to the Internet or the like have few opportunities to exchange information by effectively using communication tools such as e-mail because there are few friends and acquaintances existing on the network.

[0006] In addition, a friend or acquaintance can be obtained by using an electronic conference room, a mailing list, or the like. However, for that purpose, it is necessary to participate in an electronic conference or the like for a relatively long time, and costs such as time and billing increase.

The present invention has been made in view of the above various problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information exchange system in which users can exchange information with each other via an agent. is there. Another object of the present invention is to provide an information exchange system for exchanging information according to a degree of compatibility based on characteristic information.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the information exchange system according to the present invention exchanges information in consideration of the compatibility between agents reflecting the personality of the user.

That is, according to the present invention, in an information exchange system for exchanging information by an agent moving in a computer system, setting means for setting the agent by inputting characteristic information reflecting personality of a user; Registration means for registering the registered agent, moving means for moving the registered agent in the computer system, and information exchange means for exchanging information between the agents, wherein the information exchange means has the feature Information is exchanged between the agents based on information.

"Characteristic information reflecting the personality of the user" means, for example, information reflecting the personality of the user such as gender, taste, and hobby. More specifically, the date of birth, constellation, blood type, hobby, occupation, educational background, work history, names of favorite actors and singers, and the like can be given. Alternatively, prepare a psychological test to determine the type of user,
The result of the psychological test could be incorporated into the feature information. A “computer system” can be configured by interconnecting a plurality of physical nodes (computers) via a network, or a plurality of virtual nodes formed in one or more computer systems. It can also be configured by interconnecting nodes.

The user inputs the characteristic information reflecting his / her personality via the setting means, and sets the agent. Here, various methods can be adopted as an agent setting method. For example, a user can set an agent by entering feature information via a web browser. The user can also set an agent by sending an e-mail describing the characteristic information to the computer system. The registration means registers the agent in the computer system. The moving means moves the registered agent in the computer system. The information exchange means causes information exchange between agents based on the characteristic information.

For example, the information exchange means can determine the degree of compatibility based on the characteristic information, and can exchange information between agents having a predetermined degree of compatibility. Since the personality of the user is reflected in the characteristic information, the compatibility between the users can be estimated based on the characteristic information. For example,
If the hobbies match or are related, the affinity will be higher. Also, the purpose in the virtual world on the network,
For example, a high degree of compatibility may be obtained even when the purposes of collecting work-related information, collecting hobby-related information, and making friends are the same or related. In addition, compatibility with constellations and compatibility with blood groups could be referred to. As long as the agents have a predetermined degree of compatibility, it can be estimated that the users of the agents also have good compatibility.
Therefore, the information exchange means determines the degree of compatibility based on the characteristic information, and exchanges information based on the degree of compatibility.

[0013] When information is exchanged between agents, the information can be reported to the user via the reporting means. A typical example of the reporting means is an e-mail. Agents that have exchanged information by encountering other compatible agents report to their own users. The contents of the report include, for example, the name of the agent, the name of the user, an e-mail address, a hobby, and the like. The user who receives the report can directly contact the other party by e-mail or the like, and can deepen the exchange through the agent.

The agent can also include experience value information and control the range of movement of the agent according to the experience value.

For example, the experience value of the agent is increased based on the number of movements, the moving distance, the network stay time, the type and rank of the event encountered, and the like. Then, as the experience value increases, the time required for one movement is reduced, or the distance that can be moved at one time (the moving distance and the moving time in the present specification are virtual ones). Yes.) Can be longer. Alternatively, a node to which only agents having a predetermined experience value or more can enter can be prepared. Thereby, the user can enjoy the growth process of the agent and will be more attached.

Further, it is also possible to set a movement amount point for the agent and move the agent within the range of the movement amount point.

For example, if the consumption amount of the movement amount point is set according to the distance between the nodes, the movement amount point can be consumed according to the movement. And, for example,
By treating the movement amount points as virtual money, it is possible to increase the enjoyment of exchanging information through the agent.

Further, the present invention can be understood as a recording medium other than the information exchange system. Examples of the recording medium include a floppy disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a hard disk (HD),
Digital video disk (DVD), memory card,
Various media such as a magnetic tape on which programs can be recorded can be given. In addition, a case where a program is transferred and recorded via a communication medium, such as remote download via a communication line, is also included.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of an information exchange system using an agent. As will be described later, the information exchange system can be configured to include the server 1, the network CN, and the client PC 21.

The server 1 includes a communication unit 2, a registration unit 3, a moving unit 4, an information exchange unit 5, a reporting unit 6, an agent management database (abbreviated as "agent DB" in the figure) 7, a node link database 8, and a node database. 9, a compatibility determination database 10, a sightseeing database 11, an event database 12, and a sentence example database 13.

Communication unit 2 that can be expressed as "communication means"
Has a communication interface and a protocol for connecting to a network CN such as the Internet. The registration unit 3 as “registration means” is a client P
When an agent is set from C21 via the communication unit 2, the set agent is registered in the agent management database 7. The moving unit 4 as “moving means” moves an agent registered in the node database 9 with reference to the node link database 8.

Information exchange section 5 as "information exchange means"
Determines the degree of compatibility between agents existing in the same node by referring to the compatibility determination database 10. The information exchange unit 5 causes information exchange between agents having a degree of compatibility equal to or higher than a predetermined value. Further, the information exchange unit 5 refers to the tourism database 11 associated with the node, and provides the agent with tourist information (for example, information on a special product, a lodging place, a tourist spot, a famous hot water, etc.). ing.

The report section 6 as "report means" is for causing each agent to report to the user by e-mail or the like. The reporting unit 6 stores the event database 1
2 refers to the sentence example database 13 based on various events (for example, encounter with another agent based on compatibility determination, dispute with another agent, sightseeing, illness, love, etc.), and Read the basic sentence example corresponding to the event. The report unit 6 creates an e-mail by appropriately changing a predetermined part in the basic sentence example, such as changing the addressee to a user name. The created e-mail is sent to the user via a mail transmission program.

The client PC 21 is composed of, for example, a personal computer or the like. The client PC 21 includes a communication unit 22 and a setting unit 23 as “setting means”. The setting unit 23 sets an agent by, for example, inputting user characteristic information via a web browser. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the agent can be set by transmitting an e-mail describing the characteristic information to the server 1. Alternatively, the agent may be set via a mobile program also called a mobile code.

FIG. 2 shows the agent management database 7
It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of. In the agent management database 7, for each of the agents AGN1 to AGNn,
Date of birth, gender, blood type, hobbies, favorite things, departure place (starting node name), current location (current node name), name of agent met, money as "moving point", experience, etc. Are stored in association with each other. In the figure, a plurality of agents are illustrated as if they were managed by one database, but a card-type database may be created for each agent. Here, the date of birth, gender, blood type, hobby, favorite, etc. correspond to the “feature information”. However, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The type of feature information may be simplified, or other elements (for example, dislikes, work history, educational background, favorite actor, etc.) may be added.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the node database 9 and the node link database 8. FIG.
As shown in (a), the node database 9 is formed for each node, and stores, for each agent present in the node, the arrival date at the node, the number of days staying at the node, and the like. Have been.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the node link database 8 is formed for each node, and stores link information between the node and another node. That is, in the node link database 8, the distance between the node and another node, the required time, the consumption point (consumption of money in possession), the amount of increase in experience value, the direction of movement, the possibility of movement, the presence or absence of high-speed movement Etc. are stored.

The direction of movement is information for distinguishing whether bidirectional movement between the node and another node is permitted or whether the node is one-way. The availability of movement is information indicating whether movement from the node to another node is permitted. Normally, whether or not movement is permitted is set such that movement is permitted between neighboring nodes and movement is prohibited between remote nodes. High-speed movement is information indicating whether or not high-speed movement means is prepared between nodes. The agent can move in a short time between nodes provided with high-speed moving means. Also,
It could also move to a remote node.

The contents defined in the node link database 8 can be adjusted according to the experience value of the agent. For example, when the experience value of the agent has reached a predetermined value, the agent can be moved in a shorter time than the reference required time or the consumption points can be reduced. Also, for example, it is possible to permit movement to a node where movement is prohibited.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the compatibility judgment database 10. The compatibility determination database 10 can be configured as a set of matching tables formed for each item of feature information. However, it is not necessary to prepare a matching table for all items of the feature information. In the matching table, for example, a combination pattern is formed for each element, and the compatibility is set for each combination. Taking the hobby matching table as an example, a high degree of compatibility can be set when the hobbies are common or related, and a low degree of compatibility can be set when the hobbies conflict or are less relevant.
When a plurality of hobbies are set for the agent, the maximum degree of compatibility may be adopted, or weighted and added for each hobby content. In the matching table based on blood type and the matching table based on constellations, compatibility is set for each combination of blood type and constellation.

The information exchange section 5 can determine the overall compatibility degree by, for example, adding the compatibility degrees detected from the respective matching tables. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the maximum compatibility degree among the compatibility degrees read from each matching table may be adopted as the final compatibility degree, an average value of each compatibility degree may be adopted, The degree of compatibility may be weighted and added.

Further, instead of the addition method, a subtraction method can be adopted. A negative compatibility degree may be set in each matching table, and the overall compatibility degree may be calculated by subtracting the compatibility degree from a preset initial compatibility degree. Also,
An addition / subtraction method can also be adopted. For example, if the hobbies are common, set a positive compatibility degree, if the hobbies are conflicting, set a negative compatibility degree, add the compatibility degrees obtained from all matching tables, and add the final compatibility degree Can also be requested.

Next, an example of a user interface provided to the user will be described with reference to FIGS. In this user interface, for example, five menus of a profile, a map, a back, an album, and a diary are switched and displayed by tabs.

First, FIG. 5A shows a profile menu for performing user registration and agent setting. On the user registration screen, for example, user name,
You can enter your date of birth, address, gender, e-mail address, and whether you want to disclose user information. Not limited to this, other information such as occupation can also be input. Also, on the user registration screen, a self-portrait of the user can be registered.

FIG. 5B shows an agent setting screen in the profile menu. On the agent setting screen, for example, the name of the agent, date of birth, hobby, gender, place of departure, money in hand, experience value, and the like can be input. Information such as date of birth and gender may inherit the data entered on the user registration screen as it is. Also, an image of the agent can be set.

FIG. 5C shows a map menu screen. This map screen shows a map of a virtual node constructed by the node database 9 and the node link database 8. On the map screen, the trajectory of the movement of the agent can be displayed as shown by the thick line in the figure. Further, the node map can be displayed by imitating a real region.

FIG. 6A shows a back menu screen. The back menu is for browsing the information collected and accumulated by the agent. The agent collects information according to the information collection purpose set by the user in advance. The agent accumulates information in a holder formed for each information collection purpose. The user can obtain desired information by referring to each holder.

FIG. 6B shows an album menu screen. The album menu accumulates commemorative photos of events (such as encounters with other agents) encountered by agents. Taking a case where an encounter event occurs as an example, an image of each agent and a node background image set for a node with which each agent has met are combined to generate a commemorative photograph. The generated commemorative photo is sent to the client PC 21 by e-mail.
Sent to.

FIG. 6C shows a diary menu screen. The diary menu is for storing e-mails transmitted from agents by classifying them by date. The e-mail transmitted from the agent, that is, the body of the e-mail generated by the report unit 6 is composed of, for example, five parts. The five parts are the greeting m1 section, the current location reporting section m2, and the event summary section m
3, a part m4 for reporting the specific contents of the event, and a part m5 for reporting the result of the event. Each part m1 to m5
Basic sentence examples are stored in the sentence example database 13 each time.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the figure, steps are abbreviated as “S”. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the agent moving process performed by the moving unit 4.

The transfer process is executed, for example, at predetermined time intervals for all agents existing in each node. When the moving time arrives, the moving unit 4 refers to the node link database 9 and the agent management database 7, respectively (S1, S2), and determines whether an agent existing at a certain node can move to another node (S1). S3). For example, the movable range of the agent differs depending on the link relationship between the nodes. The range in which the agent can move also differs depending on the magnitude of the experience value, the amount of money, and the like. As described above, the moving unit 4 determines whether there is a movable node in consideration of the link relationship between the nodes and the state of each agent.

If there is a movable node, a pseudo random number is generated to determine the direction of movement (S4). For example, when there are a plurality of nodes adjacent to a certain node, which node to move to is determined by a random number. If there is only one movable node, S4 can be omitted.

Then, the moving unit 4 moves the agent to the node determined in S4 (S5). Specifically, the moving unit 4 moves the agent in the virtual node map by transferring the information of the agent from the current node database 9 to the destination node database 9. Then, along with the movement between the nodes, the possession is reduced (S6) and the experience value is increased (S7).

It is not necessary to reduce the money in possession for all the inter-node movements, and it is not necessary to increase the experience value. For example, when moving to an adjacent node, it can be set so that the money as a moving amount point is not consumed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S3 that there is no movable node, stop processing is performed (S8).
For example, when the agent does not have the money required for the minimum amount of movement, the stop processing is performed. In this case, the agent stays at the current node.

By setting a movement policy for the agent in advance, the agent can be moved according to the movement policy. As a movement policy, for example,
Examples include searching for a node in a specific range, searching only for nodes having specific information, moving in order from a node with a lower number to a node with a higher number, and the like.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an information exchange process by the information exchange unit 5. When an event occurs,
The information exchange process starts. FIG. 8 mainly describes information exchange between agents.

First, it is determined whether or not an encounter event has occurred (S11). An encounter event is an event where an agent meets an agent,
For example, it is performed once a day.

If an encounter event occurs, it is determined whether or not another agent exists in the same node (S12). If there are no other agents,
Since information cannot be exchanged between agents,
The process ends. If another agent exists in the same node, the feature information set for each agent is read by referring to the agent management database 7 (S13).

Next, the compatibility determination database 10 is referred to using the read feature information as a search key (S14), and the degree of compatibility between the two agents is obtained (S15). Then, information exchange is performed based on the compatibility between the agents (S16).

Here, various types of information exchange based on the degree of compatibility can be adopted. For example, between agents having a predetermined degree of compatibility, all of the feature information can be exchanged with each other. If the compatibility is equal to or less than the predetermined value, no information exchange is performed. Also, a plurality of ranks may be set for the compatibility degree, and information exchange may be performed according to the ranks. For example, when the compatibility is 30% to 50%, only the name and gender of each other are exchanged, and when the compatibility is 50% to 70%, the e-mail address and the age are exchanged in addition to the name and gender. is there. Furthermore, the rank of compatibility degree for exchanging information can be set in advance by each user. That is, for example, a user who wants to transmit feature information to all the encountered agents will be able to provide feature information even to agents with low compatibility. Conversely, a more cautious user will be able to hide feature information even for highly compatible agents.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S11 that no encounter event has occurred, it is determined whether another event has occurred (S17). Another event may be, for example, a sightseeing event. The sightseeing event is, for example, an event related to sightseeing associated with the node at the place of stay. More specifically, for example, participation in festivals in cities and regions to which the node is associated, sampling of specialty products, and the like can be cited. In the case of a sightseeing event, the agent obtains a storage location of an image indicating the contents of the sightseeing and a description. Accordingly, the agent creates an e-mail including an image of the sightseeing content in the report unit 6 and sends it to the user (S1).
8).

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

First, an agent is generated by inputting characteristic information reflecting the user's personality, and information is exchanged via the agent, so that the agent becomes an alter ego of the user. Therefore, the user can easily transfer emotions to the agent and can exchange information while enjoying the virtual world in the computer system. In addition, since the agent automatically exchanges information even if the user does not directly access the virtual world on the network, the range of communication can be efficiently expanded.

Second, since information is exchanged between agents based on feature information, information exchange relatively close to real-world exchange can be performed.

Thirdly, instead of exchanging information with all agents existing on the node at the same time, the degree of compatibility between agents is determined based on characteristic information, and information is exchanged according to the degree of compatibility. In addition, it is possible to prevent useless information exchange with low possibility, and to perform efficient communication.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the server 1 does not need to be realized by a single computer. A plurality of servers may be connected by a network.

[0059]

As described above, according to the information exchange system according to the present invention, information can be exchanged through an agent who is an alter ego of a user, so that information can be efficiently exchanged while having fun, and the range of dating can be expanded. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall outline of an information exchange system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an agent management database.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a node database and an example of a node link database, respectively.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a compatibility determination database.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a user interface.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a user interface.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an agent moving process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an information exchange process of an agent.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 server 3 registration unit 4 moving unit 5 information exchange unit 6 reporting unit 7 agent management database 8 node link database 9 node database 10 compatibility judgment database 21 client PC 23 setting unit CN network

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Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An information exchange system for exchanging information by an agent moving in a computer system, comprising: setting means for setting the agent by inputting characteristic information reflecting a user's personality; Registration means for registering, moving means for moving the registered agent in the computer system, and information exchange means for exchanging information between the agents, wherein the information exchange means is based on the characteristic information. An information exchange system, wherein information is exchanged between the agents. 2. The information exchange system according to claim 1, wherein said information exchange means judges compatibility based on said characteristic information and causes information exchange between agents having a predetermined compatibility. 3. The information exchange system according to claim 1, further comprising a report unit that reports to the user based on information exchange between the agents. 4. The agent according to claim 1, wherein the agent has an experience value accumulated according to a predetermined rule, and the moving unit controls a movement range of the agent according to the experience value.
An information exchange system according to claim 3. 5. The information exchange system according to claim 4, wherein the agent has a moving amount point, and the moving means moves the agent within the moving amount point. 6. The information exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the moving means moves the agent between virtual nodes formed in the computer system. 7. The information according to claim 1, wherein the computer system connects a plurality of computers via a network, and wherein the moving unit moves the agent between the computers. Exchange system. 8. A recording function for registering an agent having characteristic information reflecting a user's personality on a recording medium recording a computer program for causing an agent moving in a computer system to exchange information; The computer reads and executes a program for causing the computer to implement a moving function of moving the agent that has been performed in the computer system and an information exchange function of exchanging information between the agents based on the characteristic information. A recording medium recorded in an understandable form.