JP2014225061A - Information provision device, information provision system, information provision method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide information on content that meets the needs of a user better.SOLUTION: A server device obtains image data representing an image from a communication terminal, and on the basis of the obtained image data, generates characteristic information representing the characteristic of a user of the communication terminal. The server device obtains image data representing an image according to a predetermined instruction from the communication terminal, and on the basis of the obtained image data, generates situation information representing the situation of the user. The server device selects one from a plurality of contents on the basis of the generated characteristic information and situation information, and outputs information representing the selected content.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for providing recommended content information to a user.

  Techniques have been proposed that provide information on content that meets user hobbies and preferences. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151867 describes a technique for determining a user's preference by analyzing a photograph taken by the user and transmitting content that matches the user's preference to the user's camera.

JP 2011-257868 A

However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, the content to be provided to the user is selected in consideration of only the user's preference, regardless of the location where the user is currently located or the environment where the user is currently located. Information on content that does not fit the situation is also provided. For this reason, the provided content information may not meet the user's needs.
An object of this invention is to provide the information of the content more suitable for a user's needs.

  The present invention is based on a first image acquisition unit that acquires first image data representing a first image from a communication terminal, and the first image data acquired by the first image acquisition unit. A first generation unit that generates characteristic information representing characteristics of the user of the communication terminal, and a second image acquisition that acquires second image data representing a second image from the communication terminal according to a predetermined instruction Generated by the first generation unit, a second generation unit that generates situation information representing the user's situation based on the second image data acquired by the second image acquisition unit, and the first generation unit A selection unit that selects a first content from a plurality of contents based on the generated characteristic information and the situation information generated by the second generation unit; and the selection unit selected by the selection unit Information that represents the first content Providing information providing device and an output unit for force.

  In the information providing apparatus, the selection unit further includes the plurality of contents based on either the characteristic information generated by the first generation unit or the situation information generated by the second generation unit. The second content may be selected from the list, and the output unit may output information representing the second content in addition to the information representing the first content.

  In the information providing apparatus, the selection unit selects a predetermined number of the first contents and a predetermined number of the second contents, and selects the predetermined number of first contents and the predetermined number of second contents. Of the content, a history acquisition unit that acquires history information indicating a usage history of the content used in the communication terminal, and the first selected by the selection unit based on the history information acquired by the history acquisition unit A change unit that changes the number of one content or the number of the second content.

  In the information providing apparatus, a combination of characteristic information and situation information is set in at least one of the plurality of contents, and the selection unit includes the characteristic information generated by the first generation unit and the first information. When the set combination is included in the situation information generated by the second generation unit, the content set with the combination may be selected with priority over other content.

  The present invention further includes an information providing device and a communication terminal, wherein the information providing device obtains first image data representing a first image from the communication terminal; Based on the first image data acquired by the first image acquisition unit, a first generation unit that generates characteristic information representing the characteristics of the user of the communication terminal, and a second according to a predetermined instruction A second image acquisition unit that acquires second image data representing an image from the communication terminal, and the second image data acquired by the second image acquisition unit represents the situation of the user. Based on the second generation unit that generates situation information, the characteristic information generated by the first generation unit, and the situation information generated by the second generation unit, Select to select the first content from And an output unit that outputs information representing the first content selected by the selection unit, and the communication terminal sends the first image data and the second image data to the information providing device. There is provided an information providing system including an image transmitting unit to transmit and a display control unit for displaying the information output from the output unit on a display unit.

  In the information providing system, the communication terminal includes an imaging unit that captures an image, and the display control unit adds the information output from the output unit to the image captured by the imaging unit. You may display on the said display part.

  The present invention also includes a step of acquiring first image data representing a first image from a communication terminal, and characteristic information representing characteristics of a user of the communication terminal based on the acquired first image data. Generating second image data representing a second image from the communication terminal in response to a predetermined instruction, and the user's situation based on the acquired second image data Generating status information representing the content, selecting the first content from a plurality of content based on the generated characteristic information and the generated status information, and the selected first An information providing method comprising: outputting information representing one content.

  Further, the present invention provides a computer with a step of acquiring first image data representing a first image from a communication terminal, and based on the acquired first image data, characteristics of a user of the communication terminal. Generating characteristic information to be represented; obtaining second image data representing a second image in response to a predetermined instruction from the communication terminal; and based on the acquired second image data, Generating situation information representing a user situation; selecting a first content from a plurality of contents based on the generated characteristic information and the generated situation information; and the selection A program for executing the step of outputting the information representing the first content.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide content information that better meets user needs.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of an information provision system. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a server apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of a content management table. It is a figure which shows an example of image DB. It is a figure which shows the function structure of a server apparatus. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a communication terminal. It is a figure which shows the function structure of a communication terminal. It is a sequence chart which shows a storage process. It is a sequence chart which shows a recommendation process. It is a figure which shows an example of image data. It is a figure which shows an example of the content information displayed on a display part. It is a sequence chart which shows a feedback process. It is a figure which shows an example of the frequency | count of utilization of the content of each group. It is a figure which shows an example of the link table which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the content information displayed on the display part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
1. Configuration (1) Overall System Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment. The information providing system 1 includes a server device 10 and a communication terminal 20. Server device 10 and communication terminal 20 are connected via a network 30 including a mobile communication network and the Internet. The server device 10 has a function of providing recommended content information to the communication terminal 20. This content is, for example, a web application. The communication terminal 20 is a mobile phone or a smartphone, for example. The communication terminal 20 has a function of presenting content information provided from the server device 10 to the user.

(2) Configuration of Server Device FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the server device 10. The server device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a main memory 12 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), a communication unit 13, and a storage unit 14 such as a hard disk.

  The CPU 11 controls each unit of the server device 10 by executing a program stored in the main memory 12 or the storage unit 14. The main memory 12 stores programs and data. The main memory 12 serves as a work area when the CPU 11 executes the program. The communication unit 13 is an interface connected to the network 30. The communication unit 13 communicates with the communication terminal 20 via the network 30. The storage unit 14 stores programs and data. The storage unit 14 also stores a content management table 141 and an image database (hereinafter referred to as “image DB”) 142.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the content management table 141. The content management table 141 stores content identification information, characteristic information, situation information, a characteristic score, a situation score, and a total score. The content identification information is information for identifying content provided to the user. For example, the content identification information is an ID assigned to the content or the name of the content. The characteristic information is information representing the characteristics of the user. For example, the characteristic information is information that represents a user's hobbies, preferences, behavior patterns, and attributes (such as family composition). The status information is information representing the status of the user. For example, the status information is information indicating the location where the user is present, the current weather, the current time, the user's companion, and the number of the companion. The characteristic score is a value indicating the degree of matching of characteristic information. The situation score is a value indicating the degree of suitability of the situation information. The total score is a value indicating the degree of matching of both the characteristic information and the current status information.

  The characteristic information and the situation information are set in advance by a content provider, for example. For example, if the content A1 is a web application that guides a cafe that can go with a dog, it is considered that a person who likes dogs or a foodie is likely to be interested in the content A1. Further, when such a person is with a dog or outdoors, it is considered that the possibility of using the content A1 is high. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, characteristic information “dog lover, foodie” and status information “outdoor with dog” are set in the content A1.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the image DB 142. The image DB 142 is used to store image data representing an image taken by the communication terminal 20. The image DB 142 stores image data and subject information. The image data is data representing an image captured by the communication terminal 20. The subject information is information representing the subject that has been shot.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the server apparatus 10. The server device 10 includes a first image acquisition unit 111, a first generation unit 112, a second image acquisition unit 113, a second generation unit 114, and a selection unit that are executed by the CPU 11 by executing one or more programs. 115, the functions of the output unit 116, the history acquisition unit 117, and the change unit 118 are realized. The server device 10 is an example of an information providing device according to the present invention.

  The first image acquisition unit 111 acquires first image data representing the first image from the communication terminal 20. The image data acquired by the first image acquisition unit 111 is stored in the image DB 142. The first generation unit 112 generates characteristic information representing the characteristics of the user of the communication terminal 20 based on the first image data stored in the image DB 142. This characteristic information is information that represents a user's unique properties and trends, such as the user's hobbies, preferences, behavioral patterns, attributes (family composition, etc.).

  The second image acquisition unit 113 acquires second image data representing the second image from the communication terminal 20 in response to a predetermined instruction. The second generation unit 114 generates status information representing the user status based on the second image data acquired by the second image acquisition unit 113. The status information is information indicating the status of the user at the time when the content information acquisition instruction is input, that is, what, when, with whom, and under what circumstances. The situation information may represent all of these elements, or may represent a part of these elements.

  The selection unit 115 selects the first content from the plurality of contents based on the characteristic information generated by the first generation unit 112 and the situation information generated by the second generation unit 114. The output unit 116 outputs information representing the first content selected by the selection unit 115.

  The history acquisition unit 117 acquires history information indicating the usage history of the content used in the communication terminal 20 among the first content and the second content. The change unit 118 changes the number of first contents or the number of second contents selected by the selection unit 115 based on the history information acquired by the history acquisition unit 117.

(3) Configuration of Communication Terminal FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the communication terminal 20. The communication terminal 20 includes a CPU 21, a main memory 22 such as a ROM and a RAM, a communication unit 23, an input unit 24 such as a touch panel and keys, a display unit 25 such as a liquid crystal display, an imaging unit 26 such as a camera, And a storage unit 27 such as a flash memory. Note that the communication terminal 20 may include a configuration for performing a voice call in addition to these configurations.

  The CPU 21 controls each unit of the communication terminal 20 by executing a program stored in the main memory 22 or the storage unit 27. The main memory 22 stores programs and data. The main memory 22 serves as a work area when the CPU 21 executes a program. The communication unit 23 is an interface connected to the network 30. Specifically, the network 30 includes a base station, and the communication unit 23 is wirelessly connected to this base station. The communication unit 23 communicates with the server device 10 via the network 30. The input unit 24 inputs information corresponding to a user operation to the CPU 21. The display unit 25 displays various information. The imaging unit 26 captures an image and generates image data representing the captured image. The storage unit 27 stores programs and data.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the communication terminal 20. The communication terminal 20 implements the functions of the image transmission unit 211, the display control unit 212, the history recording unit 213, and the history transmission unit 214 when the CPU 21 executes one or a plurality of programs. The communication terminal 20 is an example of a communication terminal according to the present invention.

  The image transmission unit 211 transmits the first image data and the second image data to the server device 10. The display control unit 212 causes the display unit 25 to display information output from the server device 10.

  The history recording unit 213 causes the storage unit 27 to store history information indicating the usage history of the content used in the communication terminal 20 among the first content and the second content. The history transmission unit 214 transmits the history information stored in the storage unit 27 to the server device 10.

2. Operation Next, the operation of the information providing system 1 will be described. The information providing system 1 mainly performs storage processing, recommendation processing, and feedback processing. In the storage process, image data representing an image captured by the communication terminal 20 is stored in the server device 10. In the recommendation processing, recommended content information is provided from the server device 10 to the communication terminal 20. In the feedback process, the number of recommended contents selected in the recommendation process is changed according to the content usage history.

(1) Storage Process FIG. 8 is a sequence chart showing the storage process. The user carries the communication terminal 20 and uses the imaging unit 26 to take an image of what he / she was interested in or likes in daily life. When the user presses the shooting button using the input unit 24, the process of step S101 is started.

  In step S101, the imaging unit 26 captures an image and generates image data D1 representing the captured image. The image photographed at this time is an example of the first image, and the image data D1 is an example of the first image data. In step S <b> 102, the image transmission unit 211 transmits the image data D <b> 1 generated by the imaging unit 26 to the server device 10.

  In step S103, the first image acquisition unit 111 acquires the image data D1 received from the communication terminal 20, and stores the acquired image data D1 in the image DB 142. In step S104, the first generation unit 112 detects the subject by analyzing the image data D1 acquired by the first image acquisition unit 111.

  Specifically, the first generation unit 112 first extracts a feature amount representing the feature of the subject from the image data D1. Subsequently, the first generation unit 112 detects a subject by pattern matching between the feature amount extracted from the image data D1 and the feature amount of the template image. The feature amount of the template image is stored in advance in the storage unit 14, for example. For example, when the feature amount extracted from the image data D1 is similar to the feature amount of the template image of “dog”, “dog” is detected as the subject. Subsequently, the first generation unit 112 stores subject information representing the detected subject in the image DB 142. For example, when “dog” is detected as a subject, as shown in FIG. 4, subject information “dog” is stored in association with image data D1.

  In step S <b> 105, the first generation unit 112 generates user characteristic information based on the subject information stored in the image DB 142. Specifically, the first generation unit 112 first calculates the total number of pieces of subject information stored in the image DB 142, and selects subject information for which the calculated total number is greater than a threshold value. For example, when the total number of pieces of subject information “dog”, “child”, “food”, and “landscape” shown in FIG. 4 is larger than the threshold values, these pieces of subject information are selected. Subsequently, the first generation unit 112 generates user characteristic information based on the selected subject information, and stores the generated characteristic information in the storage unit 14.

  For example, when the subject information “dog” is selected, since the user is considered to be a person who likes dogs, characteristic information “dog likes” is generated. Further, when the subject information “child” is selected, it is considered that the user has a child, and thus characteristic information “has a child” is generated. In addition, when the subject information “food” is characterized, the user is considered to be a foodie, and thus characteristic information “foodie” is generated. In addition, when the subject information “landscape” is selected, since the user is considered to be an outdoor group, characteristic information “outdoor group” is generated. The generated characteristic information is stored in the storage unit 14.

  This characteristic information is generated every time image data representing an image taken by the communication terminal 20 is stored, and the characteristic information stored in the storage unit 14 is updated. Therefore, the accuracy of the characteristic information increases as the image data is accumulated.

(2) Recommendation Process FIG. 9 is a sequence chart showing the recommendation process. When the user wants to acquire recommended content information, the user inputs a content information acquisition instruction via the input unit 24, and then captures a surrounding image using the imaging unit 26. When the user presses the shooting button using the input unit 24, the process of step S201 is started.

  In step S201, the imaging unit 26 captures an image and generates image data D2 representing the captured image. This image is an example of the second image because it is taken according to a predetermined instruction. The image data D2 is an example of second image data. In step S <b> 202, the image transmission unit 211 transmits the image data D <b> 2 generated by the imaging unit 26 and a content information acquisition request to the server device 10. When the server apparatus 10 receives the content information acquisition request from the communication terminal 20, the process proceeds to step S203.

  In step S203, the second image acquisition unit 113 acquires the image data D2 received from the communication terminal 20. Similar to step S104 described above, the second generation unit 114 detects the subject by analyzing the image data D2 acquired by the second image acquisition unit 113. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the image data D2. In the example shown in FIG. 10, “dog”, “blue sky”, and “ground” are detected as subjects.

  In step S204, the second generation unit 114 generates user status information based on the subject detected in step S203. For example, when “dog” is detected as a subject, the user is considered to be present with the dog, and therefore status information “is present with the dog” is generated. Also, when “blue sky” is detected as the subject, the current time zone is noon, and the current weather in the place where the user is is considered to be sunny. Information is generated. Further, when “ground” is detected as the subject, the user is considered to be currently outdoors, and thus the status information “outdoor” is generated.

  In step S205, the selection unit 115 selects the characteristic score, the situation score, and the total score of each content managed by the content management table 141 based on the characteristic information stored in the storage unit 14 and the situation information generated in step S204. Calculate the score.

  The characteristic score is obtained by calculating the number of characteristic information stored in the storage unit 14 included in the characteristic information of each content included in the content management table 141. For example, a case where characteristic information such as “dog lover”, “has children”, “foodie”, and “outdoor group” is stored in the storage unit 14 will be described as an example. The characteristic information of the content A1 shown in FIG. 3 includes two pieces of characteristic information, “dog favorite” and “foodie”. Therefore, in this case, “2” is calculated as the characteristic score of the content A1.

  The status score is obtained by calculating the number of status information generated in step S204 included in the status information of each content included in the content management table 141. For example, a case will be described as an example in which situation information such as “being with a dog”, “daytime”, “sunny”, and “outdoors” is generated in step S204. The situation information of the content A1 shown in FIG. 3 includes two pieces of situation information, “I am with the dog” and “Outdoors”. Therefore, in this case, “2” is calculated as the situation score of the content A1.

  The total score is obtained by multiplying the characteristic score and the situation score. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the characteristic score of the content A1 is “2” and the situation score is “2”, “4” is calculated as the total score of the content A1.

  In step S206, the selection unit 115 selects recommended content from among a plurality of contents managed by the content management table 141 based on the characteristic score, the situation score, and the total score calculated in step S205. Specifically, the selection unit 115 selects an upper predetermined number of contents with a high characteristic score, an upper predetermined number of contents with a high situation score, and an upper predetermined number of contents with a high overall score. In the following description, content selected based only on the characteristic score is referred to as “characteristic group content”, and content selected based only on the situation score is referred to as “situation group content”. The selected content is called “general group content”.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, when two pieces of content of each group are selected, the following content is selected. As for the overall score, the overall score “4” of the content A1 is the highest, and the overall score “2” of the content A2 is the second highest. Therefore, the contents A1 and A2 are selected as the contents of the general group. The contents A1 and A2 are an example of first contents. As for the characteristic score, the characteristic score “4” of the content A4 is the highest, and the characteristic score “3” of the content A3 is the second highest. Therefore, the contents A3 and A4 are selected as the characteristics group contents. As for the situation score, the situation score “4” of the content A5 is the highest, and the situation score “3” of the content A6 is the second highest. Therefore, the contents A5 and A6 are selected as the contents of the situation group. These contents A3 to A6 are examples of second contents.

  In step S207, the output unit 116 transmits content information indicating the content selected in step S206 to the communication terminal 20. This content information includes, for example, content identification information, information describing the content, and content introduction images.

  In step S208, the display control unit 212 causes the display unit 25 to display the content information received from the server device 10. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of content information displayed on the display unit 25. In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, content information 41 to 46 indicating the content A1 to A6 is displayed as content recommended for the user.

(3) Feedback Process FIG. 12 is a sequence chart showing the feedback process. For example, when the user looks at the content information 41 and likes the content A1, the user can register the content A1 in the favorites list by a predetermined operation. When the content A1 is registered in the favorite list, an icon corresponding to the content A1 is displayed on the display unit 25. By selecting this icon using the input unit 24, the user can receive the content A1 from the corresponding web server. In this way, when the recommended content is used by the user, the process of step S301 is started.

  In step S301, the history recording unit 213 records the usage history of recommended content. Specifically, when the content indicated by the content information is used by the user, the history recording unit 213 generates history information including the use date and time of the content and the identification information of the content, and the generated history information is stored in the storage unit. 27. In step S <b> 302, the history transmission unit 214 transmits the history information stored in the storage unit 27 to the server device 10 at a predetermined timing such as once per hour or once a day.

  In step S <b> 303, the history acquisition unit 117 acquires history information received from the communication terminal 20. The changing unit 118 calculates the number of times the content is used for each group based on the history information acquired by the history acquiring unit 117. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the number of times the content of each group is used. For example, in the history information, when the identification information of the content A1 and the identification information of the content A2 are included one by one, it means that the contents A1 and A2 are used once by the user. Both the contents A1 and A2 belong to the general group. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, two times are calculated as the number of uses of the contents of the general group. For the characteristic group and the situation group, the number of times the content is used is calculated in the same manner.

  In step S304, the changing unit 118 changes the number of contents of each group selected by the selecting unit 115 based on the number of uses calculated in step S303. Specifically, the changing unit 118 increases the number of selected contents for the group with the highest number of uses, and reduces the number of selected contents for the group with the lowest number of uses.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, the content group usage count “2” is the largest, and the status group content usage count “0” is the smallest. In this case, for example, for the general group, the number of selected contents is increased from 2 to 3, and for the situation group, the number of selected contents is decreased from 2 to 1. Thereby, in the next step S206, the top three contents with a high overall score, the top two contents with a high characteristic score, and the top one content with a high situation score are selected.

  According to the first embodiment described above, the user characteristic information that is generated based on the image data stored in the server device 10 and becomes more accurate as the image data is stored, and the user's characteristic information. Recommended content is selected based on an overall score representing the degree of matching of both pieces of situation information generated based on image data representing an image taken at the time. Therefore, it is possible to provide content information that matches both the user's characteristics and situation. As a result, it is possible to provide content information that better meets the needs of the user.

  In addition, according to the first embodiment, recommended content is selected based on a characteristic score that represents the degree of adaptation of the user's characteristic information and a situation score that represents the degree of adaptation of the user's situation information. Therefore, it is possible to provide not only information on content that suits both user characteristics and circumstances, but also information on content that suits only user characteristics or situations.

  Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, by performing feedback processing, the number of content items selected as recommended content increases for a group that is frequently used by the user. Thereby, when a user uses a lot of content of a specific group, more information on the content of the group can be provided.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the example in which the value obtained by multiplying the characteristic score and the situation score is used as it is as the total score has been described. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, when a combination of specific characteristic information and situation information is included in the user characteristic information and situation information, the total score of the corresponding content is weighted. The configuration of the server device 10 and the configuration of the communication terminal 20 according to the second embodiment are basically the same as those described in the first embodiment. However, in addition to the content management table 141 and the image DB 142 described in the first embodiment, a link table 143 is stored in the storage unit 14 of the server device 10 according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the link table 143. The link table 143 stores a combination of characteristic information and status information and a weight value in association with content identification information stored in the content management table 141. The link table 143 may store the identification information of all the contents stored in the content management table 141, or may store only the identification information of some contents.

  The combination of the characteristic information and the situation information is set in advance by the content provider, for example. For example, when the content A7 is a web application that guides a lunch shop, it is considered highly likely that a person who is a foodie will use the content A7 at noon. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, a combination of the characteristic information “foodie” and the status information “daytime” is set for the content A7. The weighting value is a value that is added to or integrated with respect to the total score. “× 3” shown in FIG. 13 represents weighting by multiplying the total score by “3”.

  In this case, in step S <b> 205 shown in FIG. 9, the selection unit 115 calculates a total score based on the content characteristic score and situation score, and the link table 143. Specifically, the selection unit 115 first calculates the total score by multiplying the characteristic score and the situation score, as in the first embodiment described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the characteristic score of the content A7 is “1” and the situation score is “1”, “1” is calculated as the total score of the content A7.

  Subsequently, the selection unit 115 determines whether or not the combination of the characteristic information and the situation information stored in the link table 143 is included in the characteristic information stored in the storage unit 14 and the situation information generated in step S204. Judging. For example, when the characteristic information and the situation information include a combination of the characteristic information “foodie” and the situation information “daytime” shown in FIG. 14, the characteristic information stored in the link table 143. And a combination of situation information are determined to be included.

  In this case, the selection unit 115 weights the calculated total score based on the weight values stored in the link table 143. In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, the weighting value “× 3” is stored in association with the combination of the identification information of the content A7, the characteristic information “foodie”, and the situation information “daytime”. In this case, the total score “1” obtained by multiplying the characteristic score and the situation score is multiplied by “3”. As a result, the total score of the content A7 becomes “3”.

  In this case, in step S206, the content A7 is easily selected as the content of the general group, that is, the content A7 is selected with priority over other content.

  According to the second embodiment described above, by setting a combination of specific characteristic information and situation information for content, when a user having a specific characteristic is in a specific situation, the information on the content is displayed. It can be provided with priority over other content information.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the example in which the recommendation process is started when the user presses the shooting button and takes a surrounding image is described. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the recommendation process is started only by the user turning the imaging unit 26 around. The configuration of the server device 10 and the configuration of the communication terminal 20 according to the third embodiment are the same as those described in the first embodiment. However, the server device 10 and the communication terminal 20 according to the third embodiment perform processing different from the first embodiment in the recommendation processing. Hereinafter, the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  When the user wants to acquire recommended content information, the user inputs an instruction to acquire content information via the input unit 24 and then turns the imaging unit 26 around. At this time, a so-called camera-through video is displayed on the display unit 25. This camera-through video refers to a series of images captured by the imaging unit 26 without the user pressing a capture button. When the camera-through video is displayed on the display unit 25, the process of step S201 shown in FIG. 9 is started.

  In step S201, the imaging unit 26 generates image data representing one of the captured images. The processes in steps S202 to S207 are the same as in the first embodiment. However, the content information transmitted to the communication terminal 20 in step S207 includes, for example, only content identification information.

  In step S <b> 208, the display control unit 212 adds the content information received from the server device 10 to the camera-through video captured by the imaging unit 26 and causes the display unit 25 to display the content information. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of content information displayed on the display unit 25. In the example illustrated in FIG. 15, content information 41 to 46 indicating the contents A <b> 1 to A <b> 6 is displayed over the camera-through video.

  Here, when there is no favorite content among the contents A1 to A6, the user can reacquire the content information by directing the imaging unit 26 in another direction. Specifically, when the imaging unit 26 is pointed in another direction by the user, the process of S201 illustrated in FIG. 9 is started again. In this case, in step S201, image data representing an image different from the previous time is generated. Therefore, in step S204, situation information different from the previous time may be generated. In this case, in step S206, a content different from the previously selected content A1 to A6 is selected. In step S208, content information different from the previous time is displayed on the display unit 25.

  According to the third embodiment, when there is no favorite content among the recommended content, the user can reacquire the content information simply by pointing the imaging unit 26 in another direction.

[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the first to third embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made as follows, for example. Further, the following modifications may be combined with each other.

(1) In the first to third embodiments described above, the example in which the content is a web application has been described. However, the content may be a web page provided by a predetermined web application.

  In this case, in step S205 shown in FIG. 9, the characteristic score is calculated by, for example, calculating the number of characteristic information stored in the storage unit 14 included in the text in each web page provided by a predetermined web application. It may be sought. Similarly, the situation score may be obtained, for example, by calculating the number of situation information generated in step S204 included in text in each web page provided by a predetermined web application.

  In step S206, only the web page with the highest overall score is selected. In step S207, content information indicating the web page selected in step S206 is transmitted to the communication terminal 20. This content information includes, for example, information explaining the content of the web page, a thumbnail image of the web page, or a part of the thumbnail image.

  In step S208, content information representing a web page is displayed on the display unit 25. At this time, when an icon corresponding to a predetermined web application is already displayed on the display unit 25, the icon image may be changed according to the content information. For example, when an icon describing only the name of the web application is displayed, the icon image is displayed so that information describing the contents of the web page is displayed on the icon in addition to the name of the web application. May be changed.

  When the user wants to browse the web page while viewing the content information, the user acquires the web page from the corresponding web server by performing an operation of selecting the corresponding icon using the input unit 24 and displays the web page on the display unit 25. Can be made. At this time, the screen of the display unit 25 is directly shifted from the menu screen on which the icon is displayed to the target web page without going through the top page of the predetermined web application. This allows the user to quickly access a web page that suits their characteristics and circumstances.

(2) In the first to third embodiments described above, the situation information may include information generated based on information obtained by various sensors or other devices.

  For example, the situation information may include information generated based on position information acquired by a positioning unit such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. In this case, the communication terminal 20 calculates position information representing the current position of the user by the positioning unit, and transmits the calculated position information to the server device 10. The second generation unit 114 generates status information based on the position information received from the communication terminal 20. For example, when the position information indicates a position in X town, status information “I am in X town” is generated.

  Alternatively, the situation information may include information generated based on the noise level measured by the microphone. In this case, the communication terminal 20 measures the noise level of the place where the user is present with the microphone, and transmits the measured noise level to the server device 10. The second generation unit 114 generates status information based on the noise level received from the communication terminal 20. For example, when the noise level is higher than the threshold value, it is considered that the user is currently in a lively place, so that the status information “is in a lively place” is generated. On the other hand, when the noise level is lower than the threshold value, it is considered that the user is currently in a quiet place, so that the status information “is in a quiet place” is generated.

  Alternatively, the situation information may include information generated based on the temperature or humidity measured by the temperature sensor or the humidity sensor. In this case, the communication terminal 20 measures the temperature or humidity of the place where the user is present by using the temperature sensor or the humidity sensor, and transmits the measured temperature or humidity to the server device 10. The second generation unit 114 generates status information based on the temperature or humidity received from the communication terminal 20. For example, when the temperature is higher than a threshold value, status information “hot” is generated. On the other hand, when the temperature is lower than the threshold, status information “cold” is generated.

  Alternatively, the status information may include information generated based on the amount of pollen scattering measured by the pollen sensor. In this case, the communication terminal 20 may acquire the amount of pollen scattering measured by the pollen sensor, and transmit the acquired amount of scattering to the server device 10. This pollen sensor is installed in a base station in the network 30, for example. The second generation unit 114 generates status information based on the amount of pollen scattering received from the communication terminal 20. For example, when the pollen scattering amount is larger than the threshold value, the status information “the pollen scattering amount is large” is generated.

  Alternatively, the situation information may include information generated based on the image capturing time and image capturing conditions of the image capturing unit 26. In this case, the communication terminal 20 transmits the shooting time and shooting conditions of the image by the imaging unit 26 to the server device 10. The second generation unit 114 generates status information based on the shooting time and shooting conditions received from the communication terminal 20. For example, when an image is taken at 21:00, status information “night” is generated.

(3) In the first to third embodiments described above, the example in which the total score is calculated by multiplying the characteristic score and the situation score has been described. However, the total score may be calculated by other methods as long as it is calculated based on the characteristic score and the situation score.

  A plurality of total scores may be calculated. For example, the selection unit 115 is obtained by multiplying the characteristic score and the situation score by a ratio of 5 to 5 and the first total score obtained by multiplying the characteristic score and the situation score by a ratio of 3 to 7. A second total score and a third total score obtained by multiplying the characteristic score and the situation score by a ratio of 7 to 3 may be calculated. In this case, for each total score, a predetermined number of contents having a higher value are selected.

(4) In the first to third embodiments described above, a priority order may be assigned to each content in advance. In this case, when the scores of a plurality of contents are the same, the selection unit 115 selects contents with higher priority over other contents.

(5) In the first to third embodiments described above, the example in which the recommendation process is performed when the user inputs an instruction to acquire content information via the input unit 24 has been described. However, for example, at a predetermined timing, the server device 10 transmits a message instructing to shoot a surrounding image to acquire content information to the communication terminal 20, and triggered by the communication terminal 20 receiving this instruction. The recommendation process may be performed. In this case, when the user turns the imaging unit 26 around in accordance with this instruction and presses the shooting button, the process of step S201 shown in FIG. 9 is started.

(6) In the first to third embodiments described above, the user may perform so-called panoramic shooting in step S201 shown in FIG. This panoramic shooting refers to shooting a wide range of images such as 360 degrees by rotating the imaging unit 26 while keeping it horizontal. Since image data obtained by panoramic shooting includes more subjects than image data obtained by normal shooting, more situation information can be generated.

  Alternatively, the user may take a plurality of images in step S201. In this case, the second generation unit 114 generates status information based on the plurality of image data. Since a plurality of image data includes more subjects than single image data, more situation information can be generated.

(7) In the above-described first to third embodiments, the example in which the situation information represents the current situation of the user has been described. However, if the user's future situation can be estimated by analyzing the image data, situation information representing the user's future situation may be generated.

(8) In the first to third embodiments described above, the example in which the user characteristic information is generated by analyzing all the image data stored in the storage unit 14 has been described. However, the second generation unit 114 may generate the user characteristic information using only a part of the image data stored in the storage unit 14, for example, the latest 100 pieces of image data.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, an example is described in which subject information in which the total number of pieces of subject information stored in the image DB 142 is greater than a threshold is selected, and user characteristic information is described based on the selected subject information. explained. However, the second generation unit 114 may weight the total number of subject information so that subject information of image data with a new shooting date and time can be easily selected. For example, when the shooting date / time of the image data is within a predetermined period from the current date / time, the total number of subject information of the image data is weighted.

(9) In the first to third embodiments described above, the content information may be the content itself. In this case, the output unit 116 transmits the content itself selected in step S206 to the communication terminal 20 as content information.

(10) The content described in the first to third embodiments described above is not limited to a web application. For example, the content may be music, movies, electronic books, videos, photos, computer games, programs, event tickets or coupons.

(11) In the first to third embodiments described above, the configuration in which the server device 10 is provided has been described, but the server device 10 may not necessarily be provided. For example, the communication terminal 20 may realize all the functions of the server device 10 shown in FIG. In this case, the communication terminal 20 functions as an information providing device.

(12) In the first to third embodiments described above, the example in which the communication terminal 20 is a mobile phone or a smartphone has been described. However, the communication terminal 20 may be a digital camera, a tablet computer, or a laptop personal computer.

(13) The program executed by the CPU 11 of the server device 10 and the CPU 21 of the communication terminal 20 may be downloaded via a communication line such as the Internet. The program is provided in a state of being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium (magnetic tape, magnetic disk, etc.), an optical recording medium (optical disk, etc.), a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. May be.

(14) In the first to third embodiments described above, the first image acquisition unit 111 and the second image acquisition unit 113 both acquire image data representing an image captured by the imaging unit 26. explained. However, the first image acquisition unit 111 and the second image acquisition unit 113 may acquire image data representing an image other than the image captured by the imaging unit 26. For example, when the communication terminal 20 acquires image data from an external device such as a digital camera, the first image acquisition unit 111 and the second image acquisition unit 113 acquire the image data from the communication terminal 20. Also good. Alternatively, when the communication terminal 20 receives image data from an external device such as another communication terminal 20, the first image acquisition unit 111 and the second image acquisition unit 113 receive the image data from the communication terminal 20. You may get it.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information provision system, 10 Server apparatus, 11 CPU, 12 Main memory, 13 Communication part, 14 Storage part, 20 Communication terminal, 21 CPU, 22 Main memory, 23 Communication part, 24 Input part, 25 Display part, 26 Imaging part 27, storage unit, 111 first image acquisition unit, 112 first generation unit, 113 second image acquisition unit, 114 second generation unit, 115 selection unit, 116 output unit, 117 history acquisition unit, 118 change , 211 Image transmission unit, 212 Display control unit, 213 History recording unit, 214 History transmission unit.

Claims (8)

A first image acquisition unit that acquires first image data representing a first image from a communication terminal;
A first generation unit that generates characteristic information representing characteristics of a user of the communication terminal based on the first image data acquired by the first image acquisition unit;
A second image acquisition unit that acquires second image data representing a second image from the communication terminal in response to a predetermined instruction;
Based on the second image data acquired by the second image acquisition unit, a second generation unit that generates status information representing the status of the user;
A selection unit that selects a first content from a plurality of contents based on the characteristic information generated by the first generation unit and the situation information generated by the second generation unit;
An information providing apparatus comprising: an output unit that outputs information representing the first content selected by the selection unit. The selection unit is further configured to select a second content from the plurality of contents based on either the characteristic information generated by the first generation unit or the situation information generated by the second generation unit. Select content,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information representing the second content in addition to information representing the first content. The selection unit selects a predetermined number of the first contents and a predetermined number of the second contents,
A history acquisition unit that acquires history information indicating a usage history of the content used in the communication terminal among the predetermined number of first contents and the predetermined number of second contents;
The change unit that changes the number of the first contents or the number of the second contents selected by the selection unit based on the history information acquired by the history acquisition unit. Information providing device. A combination of characteristic information and status information is set in at least one of the plurality of contents,
When the set combination is included in the characteristic information generated by the first generation unit and the situation information generated by the second generation unit, the selection unit includes the combination. The information providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the set content is selected with priority over other content. An information providing device;
A communication terminal,
The information providing apparatus includes:
A first image acquisition unit that acquires first image data representing a first image from the communication terminal;
A first generation unit that generates characteristic information representing characteristics of a user of the communication terminal based on the first image data acquired by the first image acquisition unit;
A second image acquisition unit that acquires second image data representing a second image from the communication terminal in response to a predetermined instruction;
Based on the second image data acquired by the second image acquisition unit, a second generation unit that generates status information representing the status of the user;
A selection unit that selects a first content from a plurality of contents based on the characteristic information generated by the first generation unit and the situation information generated by the second generation unit;
An output unit that outputs information representing the first content selected by the selection unit;
The communication terminal is
An image transmission unit for transmitting the first image data and the second image data to the information providing device;
A display control unit that displays the information output from the output unit on a display unit. The communication terminal includes an imaging unit that captures an image,
The information providing system according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit adds the information output from the output unit to the image captured by the imaging unit and displays the information on the display unit. Obtaining first image data representing a first image from a communication terminal;
Generating characteristic information representing characteristics of a user of the communication terminal based on the acquired first image data;
Obtaining second image data representing a second image from the communication terminal in response to a predetermined instruction;
Generating status information representing the status of the user based on the acquired second image data;
Selecting a first content from a plurality of contents based on the generated characteristic information and the generated status information;
Outputting information representing the selected first content. An information providing method comprising: On the computer,
Obtaining first image data representing a first image from a communication terminal;
Generating characteristic information representing characteristics of a user of the communication terminal based on the acquired first image data;
Obtaining second image data representing a second image from the communication terminal in response to a predetermined instruction;
Generating status information representing the status of the user based on the acquired second image data;
Selecting a first content from a plurality of contents based on the generated characteristic information and the generated status information;
Outputting the information representing the selected first content.