JP2002334273A - Mining system, mining server, client terminal, mining method, computer program and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mining system capable of highly accurately mining the preference of an individual by an easy method. SOLUTION: The mining system 1 is composed of a mining server 2 and a client terminal 4 accessing the mining server 2 by a network 3 capable of bidirectional communication. The mining server 2 is provided with a mining engine making the client terminal 4 display a mining information selection image including a plurality of mining information and mining the preference of an operator corresponding to selection by the operator of the client terminal 4, and a mining database storing information regarding the mining information. The client terminal 4 is provided with a display device 42 capable of displaying the mining information selection image and a selector 44 selecting the mining information matched with his/her preference from the plurality of the mining information displayed at the display device 42.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mining system capable of mining preferences, a mining server, a client terminal, a mining method, a computer program, and a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a marketing tool,
Data mining was being used. In this case, a method of estimating the preference from numerical data such as the purchase history of the customer has generally been used. In addition, a method called a questionnaire using words of adjectives and the like has been used in order to measure the abstractness of customer preference.

[0003]

However, simply analyzing the numerical data such as "who, what, how many, how much, and how much" shown in the customer's purchase history is analyzed. Mining sex was difficult. In other words, the conventional data mining did not function well in the field showing the taste and the taste related to the feeling.

[0004] A questionnaire using words and the like has a disadvantage in that it is inaccurate because there is a difference in the interpretation of words between the questioner and the respondent, and even between individuals.

[0005] As described above, the conventional method has a problem that the true tastes of customers cannot be accurately mined. Therefore, products developed and presented based on information obtained by using such a conventional method rarely improve the customer's willingness to purchase, and have not always obtained useful results.

[0006] Conventionally, there has been almost no case where a sales side provides a mining method as a service to a customer side.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a mining system, a mining server, a client terminal, a mining method, a computer program, and a storage medium capable of mining personal preferences with high accuracy by an easy method. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an operator of a client terminal accessing a mining server via a bidirectional communication network. In the mining system for mining the preference of the user, the mining server displays a mining information selection screen including a plurality of pieces of mining information on the client terminal, and mines the preference of the operator according to the selection of the operator. The client terminal includes a display device capable of displaying the mining information selection screen, and a plurality of mining devices displayed on the display device. Mining information that matches your preference from information Characterized in that it contains a selection device for selecting, the mining system is provided.

Here, the client terminal is generally a computer device having a communication function, but includes a home appliance, a portable terminal device, a portable telephone device, and the like having the same function.

[0010] The network is a communication network capable of two-way communication of information such as the Internet connected via a public line or the like or an intranet connected via a LAN or the like.

The functional configuration of the components of the present invention as defined above shall apply to the components of other inventions unless otherwise specified.

According to the present invention, from the mining information selection screen displayed on the display device of the client terminal by the mining engine, the operator uses the selection device to select the mining information matching his / her preference. Thereby, the preference of the operator can be mined.

In this case, it is preferable that the mining server further includes a preference database for managing log information for each operator as preference data. Thus, a series of operations performed by each operator can be stored as a preference database.

[0014] The mining server may further include a product management database for managing product data relating to the product associated with the preference, and select a product matching the mined preference from the product management database. It is preferable to display the recommended product on a display device of the client terminal. As a result, it is possible to present each operator with a product that matches his or her preference, and to perform effective direct marketing.

It is preferable that the mining information selection screen is composed of a plurality of screens, and that the preference is narrowed down by the operator making a selection a plurality of times. As a result, the preference mining can be performed with high accuracy.

It is preferable that the mining information selection screen is configured for each product category managed by the product management database.

The mining information is preferably developed as an image scale. Thus, the mining information can be positioned on the image scale,
Further, it is possible to easily narrow down the preference.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mining server for mining an operator's preference of a client terminal accessed through a network capable of two-way communication, wherein the mining server includes the client terminal. A mining engine that displays a mining information selection screen including a plurality of mining information and mines the preference of the operator according to the selection of the operator, and a mining database that stores information about the mining information. Characterized by containing
A mining server is provided.

It is preferable that the system further includes a preference database for managing the log information of each operator as preference data.

The apparatus further comprises a merchandise management database for managing merchandise data relating to merchandise associated with the preference, wherein a commodity matching the mined preference is selected from the merchandise management database, and a display device of the client terminal is provided. Is preferably displayed as a recommended product.

It is preferable that the mining information selection screen is composed of a plurality of screens, and the preference is narrowed down by the operator making a selection a plurality of times.

Preferably, the mining information selection screen is configured for each product category managed by the product management database.

It is preferable that the mining information is developed as an image scale.

Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program characterized by causing a computer to function as the mining server.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program characterized by causing a computer to function as the mining server.

Still further, according to another aspect of the present invention,
A display capable of displaying a mining information selection screen including a plurality of pieces of mining information provided from the mining server at a client terminal accessible via a network capable of two-way communication with a mining server for mining user preferences. A client terminal is provided, comprising: a device; and a selecting device for selecting mining information that matches the user's preference from a plurality of pieces of mining information displayed on the display device.

It is preferable that the display device displays a recommended product selected as a product matching the taste mined by the mining server on the display device.

Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program characterized by causing a computer to function as the client terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program characterized by causing a computer to function as the client terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mining method for mining the preference of an operator of a client terminal who has accessed a mining server via a network capable of two-way communication. Sends a mining request to the mining server, and the mining server displays a mining information selection screen including a plurality of mining information on a display device of the client terminal in response to a request from the client terminal. And causing the operator to select mining information that matches his / her preference, and wherein the mining server mines the preference of the operator in accordance with the selection of the operator. Provided.

In this mining method, it is preferable that the mining server stores and manages the log information for each operator as preference data.

[0032] It is preferable that the mining server displays a product matching the mined preference as a recommended product on the display device of the client terminal.

The mining information selection screen is composed of a plurality of screens, and it is preferable that the operator makes a selection a plurality of times to narrow down the preference.

The selection of the mining information on the mining information selection screen is preferably performed for each product category.

[0035]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
Preferred embodiments of a mining system and the like according to the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a mining system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The mining system 1 mainly includes a mining server 2 and a client terminal 4 connected to the mining server 2 via a network 3 capable of two-way communication.
Although only one client terminal 4 is shown in the figure for simplicity, a plurality of client terminals may be provided.

The mining server 2 is, here, WWW
(World Wide Web) server or HT
TP (Hypertext Transfer Pro
tocol) A computer device that constitutes a server or the like.

The network 3 is a communication network capable of two-way communication of information, such as the Internet connected via a public line network or an intranet connected via a LAN or the like, and may be wired or wireless.

Here, the client terminal 4 is a computer device having a communication function, but it goes without saying that a home electric appliance, a portable terminal device, a portable telephone device and the like having these functions are also included.

The mining server 2 includes a mining engine 22, a mining database 24, a preference database 26, and a product management database 28. The mining engine 22 has a function of sequentially displaying a mining information selection screen including a plurality of pieces of mining information on the client terminal 4, narrowing down the preference of the operator according to the selection of the operator of the client terminal 4, and performing mining. . The mining database 24 stores information on mining information. Preference database 26
Is a database for managing log information for each operator of the client terminal 4 as preference data. The product management database 28 is a database for managing product data on products associated with preferences.

The client terminal 4 has a display device 42,
A selection device 44 is included. The display device 42 is a device capable of displaying a mining information selection screen by the mining engine 22 and preferably has a color display function and a resolution capable of confirming the content of the selected image for mining. The selection device 44 is a device capable of selecting mining information matching the user's preference from a plurality of pieces of mining information displayed on the display device 42, and can be easily selected by a mouse or a cursor means of a remote control. It is preferable that it is comprised as follows.

Next, an outline of a processing flow of the mining system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this system, the sales side provides an image mining function on a site that performs direct sales of goods or services (hereinafter collectively referred to as products). This site is displayed by the mining engine 22 on the display device 42 of the client terminal 4 operated by the operator as a customer.

First, several types of images including mining information are displayed on the site for performing direct sales (S10). The customer selects an image according to his / her preference from the displayed several types of images using the selection device 44 (S20). The image display and the image selection are performed a plurality of times for a plurality of types of images, and in the process, an image in which the range of customer preference is narrowed down is displayed. When displaying an image, a suitable image is displayed using the mining database 24.

Next, the merchandise that most closely matches the narrowed customer preference is selected from the merchandise management database 28 and automatically displayed on the screen (S30). Here, the customer sees a product that best matches his or her taste, and therefore has a strong desire to purchase. In addition, log information relating to a series of operations including a customer's selection history is accumulated and managed in the preference database 26 as preference data (S
40). That is, the sales side that provides this image mining function can perform the mining of the preference for each customer and the construction of the preference database for each customer by the above process. By utilizing the preference database 26, it is possible to provide products according to the preferences of individual customers or many customers.

When narrowing down the range of customer preferences, FIG.
An image scale as shown in FIG.
In the image scale of FIG. 3, SOFs are provided at both ends in the vertical direction.
The words “WARM” and “COOL” are arranged at both ends of T, HARD, and the horizontal direction, and the vertical axis represents the transition from SOFT to HARD, and the horizontal axis represents the transition from WARM to COOL. In a predetermined area in the plane on the scale, words representing various types of images assumed from changes in each direction, for example, words such as pretty, clear, gorgeous, modern, etc. are arranged, and the image scale is set. Make up.

Here, the area occupied by each word is surrounded by a boundary line, and it seems that it is separated from other words outside the boundary line, but this is not always the case. It can be considered that near the boundary of the region, an image mixed with adjacent words is formed. Also, even within the area surrounded by the boundary line, the image is not necessarily uniform, and can be considered to have gradation elements.

Each time a customer selects an image, the customer's preference is mapped on this image scale and the area is gradually narrowed, whereby the customer's preference can be narrowed down.

In addition, merchandise can be mapped on this image scale. An example is shown in FIG. The position of the product on the image scale can be determined according to the appearance of the product, such as its shape and color.
If all products in the product management database are mapped on the image scale in advance, it is easy to find a product that matches the preference after narrowing down the customer's preference on the image scale. Can present recommended products to customers.

A method of performing mining using the above-mentioned mining system will be described below with reference to specific examples with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the mining method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

First, the customer accesses the mining server 2 via the computer 3 as the client terminal 4 via the network 3 capable of two-way communication such as the Internet, and enters a site where the mining system is provided (S101). Here, the mining system is provided by the mining engine 22 of the mining server 2 and is displayed on a monitor as a display device 42 on a screen. When entering the site, it is preferable to input a customer profile, an Identifier, a password, and the like so that the customer can be individually specified.

FIG. 6 shows a display example of a top page of a site provided with the mining system. The top page of the example shown here includes the “how” page of this system,
Links are formed on the "Notes" page, the "Questions and Answers" page, and the "Inquiries" page.

Next, the process moves from the top page to the image mining execution page. A plurality of images are displayed on the image mining execution page (S102). FIG. 7 shows an example of the display, in which four images are displayed. These four images are images representing any of the four quadrants separated by the vertical and horizontal axes on the image scale shown in FIG. The customer selects an image according to his or her preference from the displayed images by clicking with a mouse as the selection device 44 (S103).

Next, on the image scale,
An image at a position slightly shifted from the position of the two images is displayed (S104). The customer selects an image according to his / her preference from the displayed images (S105). Similarly,
The operation of displaying an image slightly shifted from the image at the previous stage and selecting from the images is repeatedly performed. Examples of images to be displayed are shown in FIGS. The display image is preferably stored in the mining database 24. Also,
The display image may be an image of a specific product, or may be an abstract image that is not immediately linked to the product. The type of the content is not limited as long as it includes mining information.

Along with the operations of S102 to S105, the mining server 2 maps the tendency of the customer's preference on the image scale (S106). By repeating the image display and selection operations several times, the tendency of the distribution on the image scale can be understood, and the customer's preference can be narrowed down on the image scale. And
From these, it is determined which image in which quadrant is closer to the preference of the customer (S107).

Next, from the merchandise database 28 prepared in advance on the selling side, a merchandise matching the taste of the customer is selected (S108), and the merchandise is presented (S1).
09). FIG. 13 shows an example of the display screen at this time. The screen will display "Recommended for You" and will take you to a page where recommended items suitable for the individual customer will be presented instead of an unspecified majority. Then, the customer selects a category of the product to be purchased (S110).

In the above description, the category of the product is selected after mining, but this is not always necessary. For example, a customer may select a product category in advance and then perform mining, and after a mining process similar to that described above, display a product in the selected category that matches the customer's preference. In this case, it is preferable that the mining information selection screen is configured for each product category managed by the product management database 28.

The log information, which is the history of the above series of operations including the narrowing down of the preference, is stored in the preference database 26 and managed (S111). The data in the preference database 26 is written in the customer database on the sales side together with the profile of the customer, and can be used as a database for the next purchase.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following remarkable effects are obtained. By a very simple method of selecting images, personal preferences can be automatically mined with high accuracy. At the same time as mining, a personal preference database can be constructed. Then, based on the obtained preference data, it is possible to provide a product that matches the preference of each individual. Therefore, more effective direct marketing that is more attractive to the customer and increases the willingness to purchase is possible.

Further, since it is possible to grasp the field in which the customer's preference is concentrated, it is possible to develop products in that field. Therefore, it is possible to develop products that directly lead to an increase in the number of sales. Furthermore, by combining this image mining with conventional data mining, more accurate customer analysis becomes possible. In addition, it can provide an unprecedented service of providing mining techniques to customers.

Although the preferred embodiment according to the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an example. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and it is obvious that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. It is understood that it belongs to.

For example, the image scale is not limited to the one described above, but may be various. Further, the example of the image to be displayed is not limited to the above example, and more various images can be considered. The number of images to be displayed is also 4 as described above.
The number is not limited to one and may be another number.

[0061]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, personal preferences can be mined with high accuracy by a very simple method.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a mining system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a schematic processing flow of the mining system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an image scale according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining mapping of a product on the image scale of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the mining system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a screen configuration example of a top page of a site that provides a mining system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an example of a selected image displayed on a site that provides a mining system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an example of a selected image displayed on a site that provides a mining system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an example of a selected image displayed on a site that provides a mining system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an example of a selected image displayed on a site that provides a mining system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an example of a selected image displayed on a site that provides a mining system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining mapping of preference on the image scale of FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is an example of a page following a recommended product displayed on a site that provides a mining system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mining system 2 Mining server 3 Network 4 Client terminal 22 Mining engine 24 Mining database 26 Preference database 28 Product management database 42 Display device 44 Selection device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 17/30 ZEC G06F 17/30 ZEC 19/00 130 19/00 130

Claims (33)

[Claims] 1. A mining system for mining the preference of an operator of a client terminal accessing a mining server via a network capable of two-way communication, wherein the mining server includes a plurality of mining servers for the client terminal. A mining engine that displays a mining information selection screen including mining information and mine the preference of the operator in accordance with the selection of the operator, and a mining database that stores information on the mining information. The client terminal includes a display device capable of displaying the mining information selection screen, and a selecting device that selects mining information that matches the user's preference from a plurality of mining information displayed on the display device. A mining system, characterized in that: 2. The mining system according to claim 1, wherein the mining server further includes a preference database for managing log information for each operator as preference data. 3. The mining server further comprises a merchandise management database for managing merchandise data relating to merchandise associated with the preference, and selects a commodity matching the mined preference from the merchandise management database. 2. The mining system according to claim 1, wherein the information is displayed as a recommended product on a display device of the client terminal. 4. The mining information selection screen is composed of a plurality of screens, and is configured so that the operator makes a selection a plurality of times to narrow down the preference. The mining system according to claim 1. 5. The mining system according to claim 3, wherein the mining information selection screen is configured for each product category managed by the product management database. 6. The mining system according to claim 1, wherein the mining information is developed as an image scale. 7. A mining server for mining the preference of an operator of a client terminal accessed via a network capable of two-way communication, wherein the mining server transmits a plurality of pieces of mining information to the client terminal. A mining engine that displays a mining information selection screen including the mining information, and mines the preference of the operator according to the selection of the operator; and a mining database that stores information on the mining information. , Mining server. 8. The mining server according to claim 7, further comprising a preference database for managing log information for each operator as preference data. 9. A merchandise management database for managing merchandise data relating to merchandise associated with tastes, wherein a merchandise matching the mined tastes is selected from the merchandise management database, and a product of the client terminal is selected. The mining server according to claim 7, wherein the mining server displays the recommended product on a display device. 10. The mining information selection screen is composed of a plurality of screens, and is configured to narrow down preference by making a selection a plurality of times by the operator. The mining server according to claim 8, wherein: 11. The mining server according to claim 9, wherein the mining information selection screen is configured for each product category managed by the product management database. 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mining information is developed as an image scale.
Mining server described in. 13. A computer program for causing a computer to function as the mining server according to claim 8. 14. A computer program for causing a computer to function as the mining server according to claim 9. 15. A computer program for causing a computer to function as the mining server according to claim 10. 16. A computer program for causing a computer to function as the mining server according to claim 11. Description: 17. A computer program for causing a computer to function as the mining server according to claim 12. 18. A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 13. 19. A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 14. 20. A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 15. 21. A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 16. 22. A computer readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 17. 23. A mining information selection screen including a plurality of pieces of mining information provided by the mining server at a client terminal accessible via a network capable of bidirectional communication with a mining server for mining user preferences. And a selection device for selecting mining information matching the user's preference from a plurality of pieces of mining information displayed on the display device. 24. The client terminal according to claim 23, wherein the display device displays a recommended product selected as a product matching the preference mined by the mining server on the display device. 25. A computer program for causing a computer to function as the client terminal according to claim 23. 26. A computer program for causing a computer to function as the client terminal according to claim 24. 27. A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 25. 28. A computer readable storage medium storing the computer program according to claim 26. 29. A mining method for mining the preference of an operator of a client terminal accessing a mining server via a network capable of two-way communication, wherein the client terminal sends a mining request to the mining server. And the mining server displays a mining information selection screen including a plurality of pieces of mining information on a display device of the client terminal in response to a request from the client terminal. A mining method, wherein the mining server selects mining information matching the operator, and the mining server mines the preference of the operator according to the selection of the operator. 30. The mining method according to claim 29, wherein the mining server stores and manages log information for each operator as preference data. 31. The mining method according to claim 29, wherein the mining server displays, as recommended products, a product matching the mined preference on a display device of the client terminal. 32. The mining information selection screen is composed of a plurality of screens, and is configured to narrow down the preference by the operator making a selection a plurality of times. A mining method according to claim 29. 33. The mining method according to claim 29, wherein the selection of the mining information on the mining information selection screen is performed for each product category.