JP2021114316A - Program management system and external instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a program management system, an external instrument and a terminal instrument that can appropriately manage a program.SOLUTION: A program management system Sys1 comprises: a terminal instrument 10; and an external instrument 20. An external instrument side storage unit of the external instrument 20 stores, together with the program, whether or not the program is approved as first status information, and a degree of disclosure of the program to the outside as second status information. An external instrument side processing unit of the external instrument 20 updates the second status information to update and change, in response to updating and changing of first status information or second status information of a block program, for an approved application program and a non-approved application program associated with it.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a program management system and an external device.

As a technique related to a conventional program management system, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a method for applying an application program to an online repository, a computer-readable medium, and a computing system.

Japanese Patent No. 5400870

By the way, in recent years, various software programs created by terminal devices and the like have been published on the Internet, but there is room for further improvement in terms of management of such programs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a program management system capable of appropriately managing programs and an external device.

In order to achieve the above object, the program management system according to the present invention can transmit a terminal-side processing unit capable of executing a process for creating a program and the program created by the terminal-side processing unit to the outside. A terminal device having a terminal-side communication unit, an external device-side storage unit that stores the program transmitted from the terminal device, and a process of approving the program stored in the external device-side storage unit. The program having an external device having an executable external device side processing unit and stored in the external device side storage unit is the approved program and the non-approved program. The program is a block program or an application program in which the block programs are combined, and the storage unit on the external device side uses the approval or disapproval of the program as the first status information and externally to the program. The degree of disclosure is stored together with the program as the second status information, and the external device side processing unit can execute a process of managing the program based on the first status information, and the first status information, Then, based on the second status information, it is possible to execute a process of publishing the program to the outside, and the first status information or the second status information of the block program is updated or changed. Accordingly, the second status information is updated or changed with respect to the approved application program and the non-approved application program related thereto.

Further, in the program management system, the terminal device has a terminal-side display unit that is controlled by the terminal-side processing unit and can display an image, and the terminal-side processing unit has an image representing the program and an image representing the program. The first status image representing the first status information of the program can be displayed on the terminal side display unit.

Further, in the program management system, the processing unit on the external device side executes a process of restricting the disclosure of the program, and then performs a process of restricting the use of the program to a device that has already stored the program. It can be feasible.

Further, in the program management system, the processing unit on the external device side restricts the use of the program to the device that has already stored the program after executing the process of restricting the disclosure of the program. It can be assumed that the notification process can be executed.

Further, in the program management system, the processing unit on the external device side executes a process of notifying the device that has already stored the program that the use of the program is restricted, and then sends the device to the device. It is possible to execute a process of presenting an alternative program to the program whose use is restricted.

Further, in the program management system, the external device side storage unit stores the program together with the third status information indicating the billing content of the program, and the external device side processing unit stores the first status information and the third status information. Based on the third status information, it is possible to execute the process of making the program downloadable.

Further, in the program management system, the external device side storage unit stores the program together with the fourth status information indicating the usage status of the program, and the external device side processing unit is based on the fourth status information. , It can be assumed that the process of calculating the reward for the program can be executed.

Further, in the program management system, the external device side storage unit stores the program together with the fifth status information representing a user who can use the program, and the external device side processing unit stores the first status information. And, based on the fifth status information, it is possible to execute the process of making the program downloadable.

Further, in the program management system, the external device side processing unit can use the program for a device associated with a user who can use the program based on the fifth status information. It is possible to execute the process of notifying.

Further, in the program management system, the external device side processing unit executes a process of notifying the device associated with the user who can use the program that the program can be used, and then executes the process. It is possible to execute the process of downloading the program to the device when the device accepts the use of the program.

Further, in the program management system, the program is a service block program that defines the output information output by the operation target device, the content of the trigger that activates the action for outputting the output information, and the trigger generation that generates the trigger. A trigger block program that defines a unit and causes the trigger generation unit to generate the trigger, an action block program that defines the content of the action and an action execution unit that executes the action, and causes the action execution unit to execute the action. Alternatively, it can be the service block program and the trigger block program.

In order to achieve the above object, the external device according to the present invention creates a program, and the external device side communication capable of receiving the program transmitted from the terminal device capable of transmitting the created program to the outside. It is possible to execute a process of approving the program, the external device side storage unit that stores the program transmitted from the terminal device and received by the external device side communication unit, and the program stored in the external device side storage unit. The program having the external device side processing unit and stored in the external device side storage unit is the approved program and the non-approved program, and the program is a block program. Or, it is an application program in which the block program is combined, and the storage unit on the external device side uses the approval or disapproval of the program as the first status information and the degree of disclosure of the program to the outside as the second. Stored together with the program as status information, the external device side processing unit can execute a process of managing the program based on the first status information, and can execute the first status information and the second status. Based on the information, it is possible to execute a process of exposing the program to the outside, and when the first status information or the second status information of the block program is updated or changed, it can be executed. The second status information is updated or changed with respect to the related application program approved and the application program not approved.

The program management system and the external device according to the present invention can appropriately manage the program created by the terminal device by the external device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a program management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a terminal device included in the program management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a selection screen in the terminal device of the program management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an external device included in the program management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen of the result of the approval examination in the terminal device included in the program management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a created program list in an external device included in the program management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a profile screen in a terminal device included in the program management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a program download flow (sequence) in the program management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing another schematic configuration of the terminal device included in the program management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the aggregation of information in the program management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a profile screen in a terminal device included in the program management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of processing in the case of restricting the publication of the created program after the fact in the program management system according to the modified example. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an external device included in the program management system according to the modified example. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of processing when a predetermined user is invited to the created program in the program management system according to the modified example. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a created program list in an external device provided in the program management system according to the modified example. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen of the result of the approval examination in the terminal device provided in the program management system according to the modified example. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating items that are automatically re-entered as application information when the created program is reexamined in the program management system according to the modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In addition, the components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily replaced by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[Embodiment]
<Overview of program management system>
The program management system Systems 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a terminal device 10 and an external device 20, and by communicating with each other and coordinating with each other, the program created by the terminal device 10 can be transferred to the external device 20. It is a system that can be properly managed by. The terminal device 10 is an electronic device capable of creating a software program to be managed by the program management system Sys1. The external device 20 constitutes a cloud service device (cloud server) mounted on the network N. The network N is composed of an arbitrary communication network regardless of wireless communication using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), 4G, 5G, etc., or wired communication using a communication line, and communicates between the external device 20 and the terminal device 10. Connect as possible. The external device 20 and the terminal device 10 typically communicate with each other via the network N. The terminal device 10 can typically receive various cloud services from the external device 20 by communicating with and cooperating with the external device 20. The program management system Sys1 of the present embodiment manages the program by the external device 20 based on various status information (in other words, attribute information) about the program created by the terminal device 10. Hereinafter, each configuration of the program management system Sys1 will be described in detail with reference to each figure.

<Programs to be managed>
Here, first, a software program to be managed by the program management system Sys1 will be described. In the present embodiment, the software program to be managed is a program that operates the operation target device by executing the operation target device.

Here, the operation target device is a device that operates by a program to be managed by the program management system Sys1. The operation target device is typically configured to be portable to the user, but is not limited to this. The operation target device can be configured by, for example, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a PDA, a portable game device, a wearable device that can be worn on a human body, or the like. Examples of wearable devices include wristband type, eyeglass type, ring type, shoe type, pendant type and the like. The operation target device may include, for example, a terminal device 10 or an electronic clock capable of communicating with the terminal device 10 and the like.

In the present embodiment, the software program to be managed is typically a program of a relatively small size that is incorporated and executed in another application program such as a browser of the operation target device. Here, as an example, the software program to be managed will be described as being an applet which is an application program executed on a browser and various block programs constituting the applet. An applet is typically positioned as an application program with a fixed sequence.

The applet of the present embodiment is a program that operates the operation target device by executing it on the operation target device. The applet may be a program that causes the operation target device to perform a predetermined operation by itself, or may be a program that causes a plurality of operation target devices to cooperate with each other to perform a predetermined operation. The applet of the present embodiment is configured to include a plurality of block programs. Here, the applet includes a service block program, a trigger block program, and an action block program as block programs, and one applet is constructed by combining these three elements. In the following description, the service block program may be referred to as a "service block", the trigger block program may be referred to as a "trigger block", and the action block program may be referred to as an "action block".

The service block is a program that defines the output information output by the operation target device according to the service content according to the purpose desired by the user. In other words, the service block is a program that specifies the content of the output information to be acquired according to the service content.

The trigger block is a program that defines the content of a trigger that activates an action for outputting output information according to the service content and a trigger generation unit that generates the trigger, and causes the trigger generation unit to generate a trigger. Here, the trigger is a trigger for invoking an action according to the content of the service. The trigger generation unit is provided in the operation target device and generates a trigger. Examples of devices that can form a trigger generation unit (trigger generation unit candidates) in the operation target device include an input unit, a detection unit, a timekeeping unit, and the like of the operation target device. The input unit of the operation target device is a part that receives various inputs to the operation target device, and may include, for example, a touch panel, an operation button, a voice input device, a crown, a push button, a register ring, and the like. The detection unit of the operation target device is a detector that detects various information, and may include, for example, an acceleration sensor, a tilt switch, an illuminance sensor, a temperature sensor, a voltage sensor, a positioning device, and the like. The timekeeping unit of the operation target device is a circuit that measures the time (time inside the device). Examples of the trigger generated by the trigger generation unit include a predetermined input to the input unit, detection of predetermined information by the detection unit, a timekeeping result by the timekeeping unit, and the like. In the trigger block, the applet including the trigger block is executed by the processing unit of the operation target device, so that the trigger generation unit defined by the trigger block generates a trigger.

The action block is a program that defines the content of an action for outputting output information according to the service content and the action execution unit that executes the action, and causes the action execution unit to execute the action. Here, the action is an action according to the content of the service provided by the applet. The action execution unit is provided in the operation target device and executes an action. Examples of devices that can form an action execution unit (action execution unit candidates) in the operation target device include a communication unit, an output unit, and the like of the operation target device. The communication unit of the operation target device is a communication module capable of communicating with the outside of the operation target device. The output unit of the operation target device is a part that outputs various outputs in the operation target device, and may include, for example, a display, an indicator light, a speaker / alarm buzzer, a vibrator, a pointer, a date plate, and the like. Examples of the action executed by the action execution unit include output of output information to the outside by the communication unit, output of output information by the output unit, and the like. In the action block, when the applet including the action block is executed by the processing unit of the operation target device, the action execution unit defined by the action block executes the action for outputting the output information.

The applet configured as described above is composed of the service block, the trigger block, and the action block described above, and defines the output information, the trigger, and the action according to the content of the service in association with each other. The applet is stored in the storage unit of the operation target device via, for example, network N or short-range wireless communication. Then, the applet is executed by the processing unit of the operation target device, so that the action execution unit can execute an action that outputs output information according to the service content by the trigger generated by the trigger generation unit.

For example, a block program storage area (not shown) is provided in the storage unit 23 of the external device 20 or the storage unit of another external device, which will be described later, and the block program storage area includes a service block and a trigger block. , Many block programs used for action blocks are stored. In the process of creating an applet on the terminal device 10 described later, for example, a plurality of block programs in the block program storage area can be displayed for each purpose via the network N, and the block program can be selected from the display. Then, the association of each selected block program and the detailed operation conditions are defined, and the applet is stored in the storage unit 15 of the terminal device 10 described later.

When the operation target device is made to perform a predetermined operation by itself, the applet is stored in the operation target device, and the operation target device generates a trigger by the trigger generation unit, acquires information on output information, and performs the operation. Have the action execution unit execute the action. In this case, the applet, for example, starts from the trigger generation by the operation target device, causes the operation target device to acquire information on output information according to the service content from an external device, and responds to the service content based on the acquired information. The action to output the output information to the operation target device is executed. In addition, when a plurality of operation target devices are linked to perform a predetermined operation, the applet is stored in one of the plurality of operation target devices, and the plurality of operation target devices are linked to perform a trigger generation unit. Generates a trigger by, acquires information about output information, and executes an action by the action execution unit. In this case, for example, the applet starts from the trigger generation of the first operation target device, and causes the second operation target device to acquire information on the output information according to the service content from the external device in response to the trigger. The acquired information is transmitted to the first operation target device, and the action of causing the first operation target device to output output information according to the service content is executed based on the acquired information. Further, in the applet, a service block, a trigger block, and an action block may each be composed of a plurality of block programs. In other words, in one applet, a plurality of output information specified by the service block, a trigger specified by the trigger block, and a plurality of actions specified by the action block may be specified.

In the present embodiment, the software program to be managed by the program management system Sys1 is the above-mentioned service block, trigger block, action block, or an applet in which the service block, the trigger block, and the action block are combined.

<Basic configuration of terminal equipment>
As described above, the terminal device 10 is an electronic device capable of creating a software program to be managed by the program management system Sys1. The terminal device 10 can create various programs in cooperation with various devices including the external device 20, for example. The terminal device 10 of the present embodiment can create the above-mentioned service block, trigger block, action block, or applet as a software program to be managed. The terminal device 10 can be configured by, for example, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, or the like. In the example of FIG. 1 and the like, the terminal device 10 is illustrated assuming that it is a smartphone.

The terminal device 10 includes an electronic circuit mainly composed of a well-known microcomputer including a central processing unit such as a CPU, various storage devices such as a semiconductor memory, and the like. The terminal device 10 can also be configured by installing a program that realizes various processes in a known computer system such as a PC or workstation.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 10 has a power supply unit 11, a communication unit 12 as a terminal-side communication unit, an input unit 13, an output unit 14, and a storage as a terminal-side storage unit. It has a unit 15 and a processing unit 16 as a terminal-side processing unit.

The power supply unit 11 is a power source for the terminal device 10. The power supply unit 11 is configured to include a rechargeable and dischargeable secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, and supplies electric power to each unit in the terminal device 10.

The communication unit 12 is a communication module capable of communicating with the outside of the terminal device 10. The communication unit 12 can communicate with at least the external device 20. The communication unit 12 is communicably connected to the network N regardless of wireless communication or wired communication, and communicates with the external device 20 via the network N.

The input unit 13 is a portion that receives various inputs to the terminal device 10. The input unit 13 includes, for example, a touch panel 13a for receiving operation input to the terminal device 10, a voice input device 13b for receiving voice input to the terminal device 10, and the like. The input unit 13 may also include an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse pointer.

The output unit 14 is a portion that outputs various outputs in the terminal device 10. The output unit 14 includes, for example, a display 14a for outputting image information, a speaker 14b for outputting sound information, and the like. The display 14a constitutes a terminal-side display unit that is controlled by the processing unit 16 and can display an image. The display 14a is composed of, for example, an image display device such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or an organic EL display that displays an image. In the touch panel 13a described above, the display 14a is provided so as to be superimposed on the surface thereof.

The storage unit 15 is a storage device for a ROM, RAM, semiconductor memory, etc. built in the terminal device 10. The storage unit 15 stores conditions and information necessary for various processes in the terminal device 10, various programs to be executed in the terminal device 10, control data, and the like. The storage unit 15 can store, for example, various information received by the communication unit 12, various information input by the input unit 13, various information output by the output unit 14, and the like. The storage unit 15 can store, for example, service blocks, trigger blocks, action blocks, applets, etc. downloaded from the external device 20 or the like via the communication unit 12 as various information received by the communication unit 12. The storage unit 15 reads out such information as needed by the processing unit 16 and the like.

The processing unit 16 is electrically connected to each part of the terminal device 10 and controls each part of the terminal device 10 in an integrated manner. The processing unit 16 includes an electronic circuit mainly composed of a well-known microcomputer including a central processing unit such as a CPU. The processing unit 16 is communicably connected to each unit of the terminal device 10 and can exchange various signals with each other. The processing unit 16 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 15, and when the program operates, operates each unit of the terminal device 10 to execute various processes for realizing various functions. For example, the processing unit 16 can execute a process of receiving various information from the external device 20 via the communication unit 12, downloading the information, and storing the information in the storage unit 15 in response to the input to the input unit 13. Further, the processing unit 16 can execute, for example, a process of transmitting various information to the external device 20 via the communication unit 12 and uploading the information in response to the input to the input unit 13.

<Creating a program>
The processing unit 16 of the present embodiment can execute a process of creating a service block, a trigger block, an action block, and an applet in response to an input to the input unit 13. As described above, the processing unit 16 responds to the input to the input unit 13 based on the created information acquired from the device such as the external device 20 via the communication unit 12, for example, the service block, the trigger block, and the action block. , You can create applets. Here, the creation information is various information referred to when creating a service block, a trigger block, an action block, and an applet as described above. The creation information includes, for example, information about service contents, trigger contents, action contents, candidates such as a trigger generation unit and an action execution unit, and candidates such as a service block, a trigger block, and an action block that constitute an applet. You may. Further, the creation information may include, for example, a service block, a trigger block, an action block, and a program for creating a program for creating an applet. In this case, the processing unit 16 may create a service block, a trigger block, an action block, and an applet according to the program for creating the program. Further, for example, the processing unit 16 can create a service block, a trigger block, an action block, and an applet according to the input to the input unit 13 without depending on the creation information as described above. The storage unit 15 can store the service block, the trigger block, the action block, and the applet created by the processing unit 16. In the following description, a service block, a trigger block, an action block created by the processing unit 16, and an applet combining these blocks may be referred to as a "creating program". Further, the user of the terminal device 10 can freely install and use the program for creating the service block, the trigger block, the action block, and the applet on the terminal device 10 from the external device 20 or another external device. can. Therefore, an unspecified number of users can create a creation program based on their own tastes.

<Uploading the program to an external device>
For example, the processing unit 16 of the present embodiment can execute a process of transmitting and uploading the creation program to the external device 20 via the communication unit 12 in response to the input to the input unit 13. That is, the communication unit 12 of the present embodiment can transmit the creation program created by the processing unit 16 to the outside, here, the external device 20. The terminal device 10 of the present embodiment transmits the creation program created by the processing unit 16 as described above to the external external device 20 via the communication unit 12.

In this case, the processing unit 16 may transmit and upload the created program to the external device 20 together with the meta information and the information regarding the disclosure of the created program. Here, the meta information of the program is additional information about the program itself that the program accompanies, and is, for example, the "name", "author", "author's account ID", and "author" of the program. Information such as "creation date". The "name" of the program can be set after the fact as described later. The "author" and "account ID of the author" of the program are set in advance in association with, for example, the user who owns the terminal device 10 that created the program. The "creation date" of a program is attached when the program is created. On the other hand, the information regarding the disclosure of the program is information indicating the degree of disclosure of the program to the outside, and is, for example, information indicating either "private", "limited release", or "open to the public". be. "Private" means that the program is not disclosed to the outside. "Limited release" means that the program is released to the outside with restrictions, and for example, it means that the target of publication is limited and released. "Open to the public" means to open the program to the outside without restrictions. The information regarding the release of this program corresponds to the second status information described later, and is used for managing the program on the external device 20 side.

The processing unit 16 can select various information about the created creation program through the selection screens 100 and 200 as shown in FIG. 3, for example. For example, when the creation of the program is completed, the processing unit 16 displays the selection screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 3 on the display 14a. The selection screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 3 is a screen operated for selecting the name of the created creation program, and is, for example, a character image such as "a new applet has been created" or "please decide a name". At the same time, an icon image 101 representing the creation program is displayed. Here, the icon image 101 is given the creation date of the creation program (“20181109” in the example of FIG. 3) as a provisional “name” of the creation program. When the icon image 101 is selected in response to the author's tap operation on the touch panel 13a on the selection screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 3, the processing unit 16 displays, for example, a so-called software keyboard in the selection screen 100 and the touch panel 13a. Accepts the input operation of "name" by the author via.

Next, the processing unit 16 displays, for example, the selection screen 200 illustrated in FIG. 3 on the display 14a. The selection screen 200 illustrated in FIG. 3 is a screen operated for selecting information regarding the publication of the created creation program. For example, the private selection area 202 and the limited release selection are performed together with the icon image 201 representing the creation program. Area 203 and open house selection area 204 are displayed. The private selection area 202 is an area selected when the creation program is set to "private", and as an example, "public" is provided together with a character image such as "private and you can try it by yourself". A text image such as "Try before" is displayed. The limited release selection area 203 is an area selected when the creation program is set to "limited release". A character image such as "" is displayed. The open house selection area 204 is an area selected when the creation program is set to "open to the public". A text image is displayed.

When the private selection area 202 is selected in response to the author's tap operation on the touch panel 13a on the selection screen 200 shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 16 makes the creation program public, indicating “private”. Add information about. In this case, the processing unit 16 stores the creation program to which the information regarding the disclosure indicating “non-public” is attached in the storage unit 15 together with the meta information and the information regarding the disclosure, but does not upload it to the external device 20.

When the limited release selection area 203 is selected in response to the author's tap operation on the touch panel 13a on the selection screen 200 shown in FIG. Add information about. In this case, the processing unit 16 stores the creation program with the information regarding the release representing "limited release" in the storage unit 15 together with the meta information and the information regarding the release, and transmits and uploads the program to the external device 20. ..

When the open house selection area 204 is selected in response to the author's tap operation on the touch panel 13a on the selection screen 200 shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 16 makes the open house open to the public. Add information about. In this case, the processing unit 16 stores the creation program to which the information regarding the disclosure representing "open house" is attached in the storage unit 15 together with the meta information and the information regarding the disclosure, and transmits and uploads the program to the external device 20. ..

Here, the processing unit 16 has described that the creation program to which the information regarding the disclosure indicating “non-disclosure” is attached is not uploaded to the external device 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. The processing unit 16 may transmit and upload the creation program to the external device 20 including the creation program to which the information regarding the disclosure indicating “private” is attached.

Here, a creation program to which information regarding disclosure indicating "limited release" or "open house" is attached corresponds to a creation program that requires approval by the external device 20 described later. That is, the processing unit 16 of the present embodiment transmits a creation program that requires at least approval from the communication unit 12 to the external device 20. The processing unit 16 can transmit, for example, all the creation programs requiring approval from the communication unit 12 to the external device 20.

When "Limited release" or "Open to the public" is selected in the process of creating the creation program or the setting process after the creation is completed, the creation program is transmitted from the terminal device 10 to the external device 20, and the external device 20 described later. It is stored in the creation program storage unit 23A (see FIG. 4). As described above, the program for creating the creation program can be freely installed from the external device 20 to the terminal device 10 or another terminal, so that an unspecified number of users can create the creation program. Therefore, a large amount of creation programs are uploaded to the external device 20, but the creation program of the present embodiment is not a large-capacity data such as a moving image or a game software, but a small-scale program using text, so the capacity is small, for example. Even if at least all the created programs that require approval are stored in the storage unit 23, the problem of squeezing the storage capacity does not occur.

By storing the creation program transmitted from the terminal device 10 to the external device 20 and uploaded to the storage unit 23A, management in cooperation with a large number of block programs that also constitute the creation program stored in the external device 20 Becomes easier.

For example, if the author stops publishing his own block program, all programs created using this block program will not work. Therefore, it is necessary to promptly notify the author and the user of the creation program that has become inoperable due to this. For example, in the case of the method as described in Patent Document 1 described above, when the program is uploaded from the user to the repository server, it is determined whether or not the application is approved, and then the suitability based on the metadata is further determined. Since only the programs conforming to it are received by the repository server, only a part of the programs are stored in the server for many programs requested by the user. Therefore, if the method of Patent Document 1 is applied to the upload of the creation program, the notification of the malfunction of the creation program due to the suspension of publication of the block program is given only to the author and the user of some programs remaining on the server. Not notified. However, notifications regarding the suspension of publication of block programs should be given not only to the creators of the creation programs that have been approved for publication by the review, but also to the authors of the creation programs that are pending review and cannot be published. On the other hand, the program management of the present embodiment that saves the creation program transmitted from the terminal device 10 to the external device 20 and uploaded, typically the creation program requiring approval (in other words, the creation program related to publication). With the system Sys1, even if the above problem occurs, it is possible to deal with it. Further, the same effect can be obtained not only in the above case but also in the case of upgrading the version of the block program. Hereinafter, the details of the external device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and the like.

<Basic configuration of external devices>
The external device 20 constitutes a cloud service device (cloud server) mounted on the network N as described above. The external device 20 constitutes a so-called repository on the network N. The external device 20 manages the creation program created and uploaded by the terminal device 10 based on various status information about the creation program. The management of the program by the external device 20 includes the approval examination of the program, the creation of a database of the program, the publication of the program, and the like. The external device 20 includes an electronic circuit mainly composed of a well-known microcomputer including a central processing unit such as a CPU, various storage devices, and the like. The external device 20 can also be configured by installing a program that realizes various processes in a known computer system such as a PC or workstation. The external device 20 may be configured by a single device, or may be configured by combining a plurality of devices so as to be able to communicate with each other.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the external device 20 includes a power supply unit 21, a communication unit 22 as an external device side communication unit, a storage unit 23 as an external device side storage unit, and external device side processing. It has a processing unit 24 as a unit.

The power supply unit 21 is a power source for the external device 20. The power supply unit 21 supplies electric power to each unit of the external device 20 from, for example, a commercial power source.

The communication unit 22 is a communication module capable of communicating with the outside of the external device 20. The communication unit 22 can at least communicate with the terminal device 10 and can receive the creation program transmitted from the terminal device 10. The communication unit 22 is communicably connected to the network N regardless of wireless communication or wired communication, and communicates with the terminal device 10 or the like via the network N.

The storage unit 23 is a storage device for a ROM, RAM, semiconductor memory, etc. built in the external device 20. Typically, the storage unit 23 has a relatively large storage capacity as compared with the storage unit 15 and the like of the terminal device 10 described above. The storage unit 23 stores conditions and information necessary for various processes in the external device 20, various programs to be executed in the external device 20, control data, and the like. The storage unit 23 stores the creation program transmitted from the terminal device 10 and received by the communication unit 22. The storage unit 23 can store, for example, all the created programs transmitted from the terminal device 10 and received by the communication unit 22. In addition, the storage unit 23 stores various information necessary for managing the program in the program management system Sys1. In the storage unit 23, such information is read out as needed by the processing unit 24 and the like.

The processing unit 24 is electrically connected to each part of the external device 20 and controls each part of the external device 20 in an integrated manner. The processing unit 24 includes an electronic circuit mainly composed of a well-known microcomputer including a central processing unit such as a CPU. The processing unit 24 is communicably connected to each unit of the external device 20, and can exchange various signals with each other. The processing unit 24 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 23, and when the program operates, operates each unit of the external device 20 to execute various processes for realizing various functions. The processing unit 24 executes various processes required for various services in the program management system Sys1. The processing unit 24 can execute, for example, a process of receiving various information from the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 22 and storing the information in the storage unit 23.

<Approval review of uploaded programs>
The processing unit 24 of the present embodiment can execute a process of approving the creation program transmitted from the terminal device 10 and received by the communication unit 22. The processing unit 24 typically targets a creation program whose disclosure information (corresponding to the second status information described later) represents "limited release" or "open house". In other words, here, the approval examination of the created program typically corresponds to the approval examination for the disclosure of the created program to the outside. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the processing unit 24 may also subject the creation program in which the information regarding disclosure indicates “non-disclosure” to the approval examination. That is, the approval examination of the created program is not limited to the one premised on disclosure.

For example, the processing unit 24 automatically analyzes the contents of the created program and meta information by using various known methods based on the rules for approving the publication of the created program, and whether or not the created program is approved. May be determined. Further, in the processing unit 24, for example, based on the rule for approving the publication of the created program, the staff member analyzes the contents of the created program and the meta information, and then the approval or disapproval is input to the external device 20. May decide whether or not to approve the created program. Here, the processing unit 24 determines either "approval", "non-approval", or "pending approval" as a result of the approval examination of the created program. Here, "approval" means that the publication of the created program has been approved. "Non-approved" means that the publication of the created program was not approved. "Pending approval" means that approval for publication of the created program has been suspended, in other words, it is currently under review.

The processing unit 24 may notify the terminal device 10 of the result of the approval examination of the above-mentioned creation program. In this case, the processing unit 24 transmits the result of the approval examination of the creation program to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 22. When the processing unit 16 of the terminal device 10 receives the result or message of the approval examination of the created program from the external device 20 via the communication unit 12, it is illustrated in FIG. 5 based on the result or message of the received approval examination. The notification screen 300 may be displayed on the display 14a. The notification screen 300 illustrated in FIG. 5 is a screen for notifying the result of the approval examination of the creation program. The notification screen 300 illustrated in FIG. 5 represents, as an example, a screen when the creation program is "approved", and "notice of examination OK" and "passed the examination. A text image such as "will be displayed." Is displayed.

<Program status information>
The storage unit 23 on the external device 20 side in FIG. 4 stores status information related to each creation program such as the result of the approval examination together with the creation program transmitted from the terminal device 10. That is, the processing unit 24 processes the creation program, status information, meta information, etc. received by the communication unit 22 and stores them in the storage unit 23. Here, the processing unit 24 associates (associates) the created program, the status information related to the created program, and the meta information related to the created program, and stores the created program in the storage unit 23.

More specifically, the storage unit 23 is functionally conceptually composed of the creation program storage unit 23A and the status information storage unit 23B.

The creation program storage unit 23A is a storage area for storing the creation program transmitted from the terminal device 10 and received by the communication unit 22. The creation program storage unit 23A stores the creation program together with the meta information of the creation program received by the communication unit 22. Further, the creation program storage unit 23A can store the creation program received from the terminal device 10 or another program creation device. The creation program stored in the creation program storage unit 23A can be downloaded and used by the terminal device 10 or another device via the network N or the like according to the status information or the like described later.

The status information storage unit 23B is a storage area for storing status information related to the creation program transmitted from the terminal device 10 and received by the communication unit 22. The status information about the creation program is various information indicating the state and attributes of the creation program. The status information stored in the status information storage unit 23B is stored by being processed by the processing unit 24 in association with (associating) with the creation program stored in the creation program storage unit 23A and its meta information. ..

The status information storage unit 23B of the present embodiment stores the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, and the fourth status information as the status information. That is, the storage unit 23 of the present embodiment can store the creation program together with the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, and the fourth status information. Here, the status information storage unit 23B stores the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, and the fourth status information, respectively, the first status information storage unit 23Ba, the second status information storage unit 23Bb, and the second status information storage unit 23Bb. 3 The status information storage unit 23Bc and the 4th status information storage unit 23Bd are included.

The first status information storage unit 23Ba is a storage area for storing the first status information as the status information. The first status information is information indicating whether or not the creation program is approved by the processing unit 24, and is, for example, information indicating any of the above-mentioned "approval", "non-approval", or "pending approval". be. The first status information is attached to the creation program by the processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side when the result is obtained in the above-mentioned approval examination. That is, the storage unit 23 of the present embodiment stores the approval / disapproval of the creation program as the first status information together with the creation program.

The second status information storage unit 23Bb is a storage area for storing the second status information as the status information. The second status information is information indicating the degree of disclosure of the created program to the outside, and is, for example, information indicating any of the above-mentioned "private", "limited release", or "open to the public". .. The second status information corresponds to the above-mentioned information regarding the release of the creation program, and is attached to the creation program by the processing unit 16 on the terminal device 10 side.

The third status information storage unit 23Bc is a storage area for storing the third status information as the status information. The third status information is information representing the billing content of the creation program, and is, for example, information representing either "free" or "paid". "Free" means that the download of the creation program is permitted free of charge. "Paid" means that the download of the created program is permitted for a fee. Similar to the second status information described above, the third status information is selected by the author via a selection screen or the like on the terminal device 10 side, and is attached to the creation program by the processing unit 16 on the terminal device 10 side. In addition, the third status information may further include information regarding "price" regarding the creation program that is "paid".

The fourth status information storage unit 23Bd is a storage area for storing the fourth status information as the status information. The fourth status information is information indicating the usage status of the created program, for example, "number of downloads", "date and time of download", "success / failure of download", "account ID of user", "frequency of use", "frequency of use", " This is information indicating "date and time of use" and the like. The fourth status information is collected by the processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side and attached to the creation program.

<Program management>
The processing unit 24 of the present embodiment can execute a process of managing the creation program based on the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, and the fourth status information. The above-mentioned approval examination of the creation program also corresponds to a part of the management of the creation program by the processing unit 24.

<Program management: listing, database>
The processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side can list and create a database of a plurality of created programs stored in the created program storage unit 23A together with the status information stored in the status information storage unit 23B. FIG. 6 is an example of a creation program list 400 in which a plurality of creation programs are listed and stored in a database by the processing unit 24. The creation program list 400 shown in FIG. 6 shows, as an example, the first status information and the second status information stored in the creation program storage unit 23A, the first status information storage unit 23Ba, and the second status information storage unit 23Bb, respectively. Based on the meta information, the "name", "author", "author's account ID", "examination status", "publication", and "application date" of a plurality of creation programs are listed. The "name", "author", "author's account ID", and "application date" are based on the meta information of the creation program. The "examination status" is based on the first status information of the creation program. “Public” is based on the second status information of the creation program. For example, “B” represents “limited release” and “C” represents “open to the public”. The created program list 400 can be displayed, for example, on a display unit (not shown) of the external device 20, a management device, or the like.

<Program management: Display of examination status>
The processing unit 16 on the terminal device 10 side can display the examination status of the created program on the display 14a based on the status information of each created program managed on the external device 20 side. The processing unit 16 refers to the information stored in the creation program storage unit 23A of the external device 20 and the first status information storage unit 23Ba via, for example, the communication unit 12, and is created by the terminal device 10. The examination status of the program is displayed on the display 14a. The processing unit 16 refers to the first status information stored in the first status information storage unit 23Ba, and for example, on the profile screen 500 illustrated in FIG. 7, icon images 501, 502, 503 representing the creation program, and , The first status images 504, 505, and 506 showing the first status information of each of the created programs are displayed on the display 14a.

The profile screen 500 illustrated in FIG. 7 is a screen for displaying personal information about a user who owns the terminal device 10. As an example, the profile screen 500 illustrated in FIG. 7 displays icon images 501, 502, 503 and first status images 504, 505, 506 related to the creation program uploaded from the terminal device 10 to the external device 20. .. The icon images 501, 502, and 503 are images representing icons imitating the creation program, respectively, and here, represent the creation program uploaded from the terminal device 10 to the external device 20. The first status images 504, 505, and 506 are images showing the contents of the first status information of the creation program, and here, are character images such as "approved", "pending", and "non-approved". In other words, the first status images 504, 505, and 506 correspond to the examination result images showing the result of the approval examination of the creation program.

In the profile screen 500 illustrated in FIG. 7, the processing unit 16 has a first character image of "approval" in the lower corner of the icon image 501 of the creation program to which the first status information indicating "approval" is attached. Display the status image 504. Similarly, on the profile screen 500 illustrated in FIG. 7, the processing unit 16 has a “hold” on the lower corner of the icon image 502 of the creation program to which the first status information indicating “approval hold” is attached. The first status image 505 by the character image is displayed. Similarly, in the profile screen 500 illustrated in FIG. 7, the processing unit 16 has "disapproved" in the lower corner of the icon image 503 of the creation program to which the first status information indicating "disapproved" is attached. The first status image 506 by the character image is displayed. As a result, the terminal device 10 can easily notify the status of the approval examination of the creation program managed by the external device 20.

The first status image representing the content of the first status information of the creation program is not limited to the above, and may be other than the character image. Symbols and marks such as "○", "□", and "×" may be displayed as images.

<Program management: Public>
The processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side can filter the creation program stored in the creation program storage unit 23A based on the status information stored in the status information storage unit 23B and open it to the outside. .. Here, when the creation program is released to the outside, typically, the external device 20 is connected to the device (including the terminal device 10) so as to be communicable via the network N. It means that the created program can be viewed and downloaded through the program store or the like.

Specifically, the processing unit 24 is created based on the first status information stored in the first status information storage unit 23Ba and the second status information stored in the second status information storage unit 23Bb. It is possible to execute the process of exposing the program to the outside. The processing unit 24 publishes a creation program to the outside with the first status information representing "approval" and the second status information representing "limited release" or "open to the public". .. When the creation program is disclosed to the outside, the processing unit 24 discloses the creation program to which the second status information indicating "limited release" is attached to a preset limited release target. Further, when the creation program is disclosed to the outside, the processing unit 24 discloses the creation program to which the second status information indicating "open to the public" is attached without limiting the disclosure target and the like. On the other hand, the processing unit 24 is a creation program with first status information indicating "pending approval" or "non-approval", or a creation program with second status information indicating "private". Will not be disclosed to the outside. That is, the processing unit 24 is provided with the first status information indicating "approval" from the plurality of creation programs stored in the creation program storage unit 23A, and is "limited release" or "open to the public". The creation program to which the second status information to be represented is attached is filtered and extracted, and the extracted creation program is displayed as a downloadable creation program on a device such as the terminal device 10.

<Program management: Download>
The processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side can download the creation program stored in the creation program storage unit 23A based on the status information stored in the status information storage unit 23B. In this case, the processing unit 24 is created based on, for example, the first status information stored in the first status information storage unit 23Ba and the third status information stored in the third status information storage unit 23Bc. It is possible to execute a process that makes the program downloadable. For example, the processing unit 24 is a terminal regardless of whether it is a free member or a paid member, for a creation program to which the first status information indicating "approval" is attached and the third status information indicating "free" is attached. The creation program can be downloaded to a device such as device 10. On the other hand, the processing unit 24 attaches the first status information indicating "approval" and the third status information indicating "paid" to the creation program, the terminal device 10 is provided only to the paying members. The creation program can be downloaded to devices such as, etc., and cannot be downloaded to free members. The processing unit 24 can distinguish between a free member and a paid member based on, for example, the account ID of the user who owns the device that requested the download of the creation program. Further, the processing unit 24 can also discriminate between a free member and a paid member based on, for example, member information stored in a billing server that is communicably connected to the external device 20 via the network N. ..

Here, the processing unit 24 is attached with a second status information indicating "limited release" or "open to the public", and can download the creation program that is open to the outside. That is, the processing unit 24 substantially has the first status information stored in the first status information storage unit 23Ba, the second status information stored in the second status information storage unit 23Bb, and the third. Based on the third status information stored in the status information storage unit 23Bc, the process of making the creation program downloadable is being executed. That is, since the creation program to which the first status information of "approval" is given is either "limited release" or "open to the public", the information of "approval" of the first status information is the first. 2 It also serves as "limited release" or "open to the public" information for the status. The processing unit 24 has a creation program with a first status information indicating "pending approval" or "non-approval", or a creation program with a second status information indicating "private". , Do not publish to the outside and cannot download. On the other hand, the processing unit 24 externally attaches the first status information indicating "approval" and the second status information indicating "limited release" or "open house" to the outside. It will be made public and can be downloaded according to the contents of the third status information as described above.

Hereinafter, an example of the flow of downloading the created program in the program management system Sys1 will be described with reference to FIG.

The processing unit 16 on the terminal device 10 side determines a creation program desired to be downloaded from the creation program released to the outside in the external device 20 according to the input to the input unit 13. Then, the processing unit 16 transmits a download request for the creation program determined above together with the account ID of the user who owns the terminal device 10 to the external device 20 via the communication unit 12 and the network N (step S1). ).

When the processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side receives the user's account ID and the download request via the communication unit 22, the processing unit 24 determines the download permission for the creation program related to the download request (step S2). In this case, the processing unit 24 determines whether or not to allow the download of the creation program related to the download request based on the received account ID and the status information of the creation program related to the download request. Based on the received account ID and the second status information, for example, the processing unit 24 determines whether or not the user of the terminal device 10 that has sent the download request is the target of publishing the creation program related to the download request. Further, the processing unit 24 is a membership type in which the user of the terminal device 10 that has sent the download request can download the creation program related to the download request, for example, based on the received account ID and the third status information. Judge whether or not. When the processing unit 24 determines that the user of the terminal device 10 that has sent the download request is the target of publishing the creation program related to the download request and the creation program is a downloadable member type, the creation program Allow download of. On the other hand, when the processing unit 24 determines that the user of the terminal device 10 that has sent the download request is not the target of publishing the creation program related to the download request, or determines that the creation program is not a downloadable membership type, the creation is performed. Do not allow program downloads.

Then, the processing unit 24 returns a download response according to the determination result of the download permission determination to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 22 and the network N (step S3). In this case, when the determination result of the download permission determination is the determination result of the download disapproval, the processing unit 24 notifies the display 14a of the terminal device 10 that the download is not permitted based on the download response. Display it. On the other hand, when the determination result of the download permission determination is the determination result of the download permission, the processing unit 24 causes the terminal device 10 to download the creation program related to the download request based on the download response.

The processing unit 24 has member information stored in the terminal device 10, specifically, information on a paid member or a free member stored in the terminal device 10, information on whether or not the charge has been paid, and information on the member. The download may be determined based on at least one of the profile information and the like. This configuration will be described in detail below.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the terminal device 10 different from that of FIG. The storage unit 15 of the terminal device 10 is an applet storage unit 15a that stores an applet or the like that is a creation program, a member information storage unit 15b that stores member information of a user who uses the terminal device 10, and a user who uses the terminal device 10. It has a profile storage unit 15c for recording the profile of the applet.

The applet storage unit 15a stores the creation program and information related thereto. The member information storage unit 15b not only stores the member's account and ID, but also connects to the external device 601 via the network N based on the control by the processing unit 16 and the communication unit 12, and the user who uses the terminal device 10. Information about, for example, information on a paid member or a free member, information on whether or not the charge has been paid, and the like are received and stored as member information. Here, the external device 601 is a device different from the external device 20, and is a dedicated server that constitutes a part of the program management system Sys1 and manages the membership fee of the member and the price for purchasing the program. The profile storage unit 15c connects to the external device 602 via the network N in the same manner as described above, and profile information about the user who uses the terminal device 10, such as gender, address, height, weight, age, member account, ID, and the like. And memorize profile information. Here, the external device 602 is a device different from the external devices 20 and 601 and is a dedicated server that constitutes a part of the program management system Sys1 and manages the personal information of the user.

When the user requests the terminal device 10 to download the desired creation program, the external device 20 causes the terminal device 10 to transmit the member information stored in the applet storage unit 15a and the member information storage unit 15b. Instruct. In response to this, the terminal device 10 transmits at least one or more information of the applet of the applet storage unit 15a, the member information of the member information storage unit 15b, and the profile information of the profile storage unit 15c to the external device 20. do. Then, the external device 20 determines whether or not the terminal device 10 can be downloaded based on the received information. As a result, the external device 20 can access only the necessary personal information in the terminal device 10 and execute the above-mentioned various processes without accessing the highly secure server.

That is, since the external devices 601 and 602 handle personal information respectively, the security is relatively high as compared with the external device 20, and there is a tendency that direct transmission / reception and exchange of information between the servers is restricted. .. On the other hand, according to the above method, the external device 20 accesses only the necessary personal information from the external devices 601 and 602 of the terminal device 10 without directly accessing the highly secure server to obtain the information. , It is possible to determine whether or not the external device 20 can download the created program to which the third status information indicating "paid" is attached. In addition, since it is possible to determine whether or not to download in a short time, there is an advantage that the user does not have to wait for a long time.

In the external device 20, when it is found that the user who requested the download is a free member for the creation program that can be downloaded only by the paid member, the first download of the creation program is permitted and the expiration date is set. You may. As a result, the user can be interested in joining a paid member by letting the user experience the creation program.

<Program management: Usage status display>
The processing unit 16 on the terminal device 10 side can display the usage status of the created program on the display 14a based on the status information of each created program managed on the external device 20 side. The processing unit 16 refers to the information stored in the creation program storage unit 23A of the external device 20 and the fourth status information storage unit 23Bd via the communication unit 12, for example, and is created by the terminal device 10. The usage status of the program is displayed on the display 14a.

In this case, the processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side is, for example, as shown schematically in FIG. 10, based on the communication connection status from the outside and the like, the creation program " Collect and aggregate "number of downloads", "download date and time", "success or failure of download", "account ID of user", "frequency of use", "date and time of use", etc. The processing unit 24 typically refers to the "number of downloads", "download date and time", and "success / failure of download" of the creation program for all users who own devices that are communicably connected to the external device 20 via the network N. , "User's account ID", "frequency of use", "date and time of use", etc. are collected and aggregated. Then, the processing unit 24 reflects the aggregated usage status in the fourth status information stored in the fourth status information storage unit 23Bd.

Then, the processing unit 16 refers to the fourth status information stored in the fourth status information storage unit 23Bd, and for example, on the profile screen 700 illustrated in FIG. 11, the icon image 701 representing the creation program created by the user. , And the fourth status image 702 showing the fourth status information of each of the created programs is displayed on the display 14a.

The profile screen 700 illustrated in FIG. 11 is a screen for displaying personal information about the user who owns the terminal device 10, similar to the profile screen 500 described above. As an example, the profile screen 700 illustrated in FIG. 11 displays an icon image 701 and a fourth status image 702 related to the creation program uploaded from the terminal device 10 to the external device 20. The icon image 701 is an image representing an icon imitating the creation program, and here, represents the creation program uploaded from the terminal device 10 to the external device 20. The fourth status image 702 is an image showing the contents of the fourth status information of the created program, and here, is a character image such as "2008DL" indicating that the created program has been downloaded 2008 times. On the profile screen 700 illustrated in FIG. 11, the processing unit 16 causes the lower corner portion of the icon image 701 of the creation program to display the fourth status image 702 with the character image of "2008DL". As a result, the terminal device 10 can easily notify the usage status of the creation program managed by the external device 20.

<Program management: Reward calculation>
The processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side can execute the process of calculating the reward for the created program based on the fourth status information aggregated as described above and stored in the fourth status information storage unit 23Bd. The processing unit 24 responds to the "number of downloads", "frequency of use", etc., based on, for example, the meta information associated with the creation program stored in the creation program storage unit 23A and each fourth status information. Calculate the reward (amount and points) for the author of each program. The processing unit 24 may store the calculated reward for the author of each creation program in the storage unit 23, or store it in a billing server or the like that is communicably connected to the external device 20 via the network N. May be good.

<Action and effect of the embodiment>
In the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 described above, the program created by the terminal device 10 is transmitted to the external device 20, and the creation program transmitted from the terminal device 10 to the external device 20. Is stored in the external device 20. Then, the program management system Sys1 executes a process of approving the program by the external device 20, and stores the approval or disapproval of the created program in the external device 20 together with the created program as the first status information. Then, the external device 20 manages the program based on the first status information. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can properly manage the program created by the terminal device 10 by the external device 20.

For example, in the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 described above, the processing unit 16 determines the program icon images 501, 502, 503, and the first status images 504, 505, 506 of the program. Is displayed on the display 14a. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can easily notify the status of the approval examination of the program created by the terminal device 10 and managed by the external device 20.

Further, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 described above store the program in the external device 20 together with the second status information indicating the degree of disclosure of the program to the outside. Then, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 send the program to the outside by, for example, the processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side based on the first status information and the second status information. It is possible to execute the process of publishing to the public. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can publish an appropriate program that has been approved to the outside based on the management by the external device 20.

Further, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 described above store the program in the external device 20 together with the third status information indicating the billing content of the program. Then, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can download the program based on the first status information and the third status information by, for example, the processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side. It is possible to execute the processing to be performed. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can download the program according to the billing content based on the management by the external device 20.

Further, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 described above store the program in the external device 20 together with the fourth status information indicating the usage status of the program. Then, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can execute, for example, a process of calculating a reward for the program based on the fourth status information by the processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side. .. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can manage the program by the external device 20, including the reward according to the usage status of the program.

Here, in the program management system Systems 1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 described above, the software program to be managed has a service block, a trigger block, an action block, or an applet having a relatively small amount of data. Is. In this case, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 perform all programs that require various processing such as approval examination from the terminal device 10 to the external device without prior examination on the terminal device 10 side. Even if the data is transmitted to the external device 20 and processed on the external device 20 side, it is possible to suppress the possibility of causing an excessive increase in the amount of data communication, an excessive increase in the amount of calculation on the external device 20 side, pressure on the storage capacity, and the like. ..

The program management system, the external device, and the terminal device according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made within the scope of the claims. ..

In the above description, the software program created by the terminal device 10 and managed by the external device 20 has been described as being a program that operates the operation target device by being executed by each operation target device. Not limited to. The software program has been described as being a service block, a trigger block, an action block, or an applet, but is not limited thereto.

In the above description, the storage unit 23 stores the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, and the fourth status information, and the processing unit 24 stores the first status information, the second status information, and the like. Although it has been described that the creation program is managed based on the third status information and the fourth status information, the present invention is not limited to this. The storage unit 23 may store at least the first status information, and the processing unit 24 may manage the program based on at least the first status information. For example, the processing unit 24 may execute a process of making the program downloadable based on the first status information and the second status information, regardless of the third status information representing the billing content of the program. Further, the processing unit 24 executes a process of publishing the program and a process of making the program downloadable based only on the first status information, regardless of the second status information indicating the degree of disclosure of the program to the outside. You may.

In the above description, the first status image has been described as, for example, a character image such as "approved", "disapproved", and "pending", but the present invention is not limited to this, and is a graphic image imitating various motifs. There may be.

In the above description, the external device 20 has been described as being configured as a single device, but the present invention is not limited to this. The form of functional distribution of the external device 20 is not limited to the above, and can be functionally or physically distributed / integrated in any unit within a range in which similar effects and functions can be obtained. In addition, various programs, various data, and the like other than the created program described above may be updated as appropriate, and other servers connected to the terminal device 10 and the external device 20 via an arbitrary network N. It may be stored in. Programs, various data, and the like other than the creation program described above are recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, flexible disk (FD), CD-ROM, MO, or DVD, and are read from the recording medium by the computer. It can also be done by. Further, for example, with respect to each processing function provided in the processing units 16 and 24, all or any part thereof may be realized by, for example, a CPU or a program interpreted and executed by the CPU or the like. , Wired logic, etc. may be realized as hardware.

<Example of modified program management: Update after publication>
In the above description, it is assumed that the processing unit 24 can execute the process of publishing the created program to the outside based on the first status information and the second status information, but the publication is ex post facto. You may try to limit it.

For example, when the first status information or the second status information is updated, the processing unit 24 according to this modification is external based on the updated contents of the first status information or the second status information. It is possible to execute the process of restricting the publication of the creation program that has been published to.

When the first status information or the second status information is updated and becomes private after the creation program is published, for example, for example, the criteria for approval examination of the creation program (rules for approving the publication of the creation program). ) Is changed and the creation program does not meet the approval criteria and becomes "non-approved" after the fact, or the creation program that was supposed to be "public" is changed to "private" after the author's intention. And so on.

In response to such a case, the processing unit 24 according to this modification publishes the creation program that has been released to the outside based on the first status information or the updated content of the second status information. , And restrict downloads. For example, the processing unit 24 is open to the outside when the first status information is subsequently changed to "non-approved" in the creation program to which the first status information indicating "approval" is attached. Restrict the publication of the created program. Similarly, when the second status information is subsequently changed to "private" in the creation program to which the second status information indicating "public" is attached, the processing unit 24 discloses it to the outside. Restrict the publication of the created program that had been done.

In this case, the processing unit 24 according to this modification executes a process of restricting the publication of the created program, and then executes a process of restricting the use of the created program to the device that has already stored the created program. It is possible. In other words, this process corresponds to the post-publication usage restriction process that restricts the use of the created program when the first status information or the second status information is updated and the created program is closed after the fact. do. By this process, the program management system Sys1 according to the present modification can properly manage the created program even when the publication of the created program is restricted after the fact.

Here, as an example of the device that has already stored the creation program whose use is restricted after the fact, the operation target device 30 and the like shown in FIG. 12 can be mentioned. The operation target device 30 is typically an electronic device that operates by executing a creation program managed by the program management system Sys1. The operation target device 30 illustrated in FIG. 12 includes, for example, a first operation target device 40 and a second operation target device 50.

The first operation target device 40 is an electronic device that can be carried by a user, and is a main operation target device 30 that can receive various services from the external device 20 by communicating with and cooperating with the external device 20. .. The first operation target device 40 can be configured by, for example, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a notebook PC, a PDA, a portable game device, or the like. In the example of FIG. 12, the first operation target device 40 is shown as being a smartphone, and here, since it has substantially the same configuration as the terminal device 10 described above, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The second operation target device 50 is an electronic device that can be carried by a user, and can receive various services together with the first operation target device 40 by communicating with and cooperating with the first operation target device 40. The barrel operation target device 30. The second operation target device 50 of this modification is paired communicably with the first operation target device 40 in response to various pairing operations. The second operation target device 50 can be configured by, for example, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a notebook PC, a PDA, a portable game device, etc., but here, it is smaller than the first operation target device 40 and is a human body. It is preferably composed of a wearable device that can be attached to a personal computer. Examples of wearable devices include wristband type, eyeglass type, ring type, shoe type, pendant type and the like.

In the example of FIG. 12, the second operation target device 50 is illustrated as a wristband type wearable device worn on the wrist and an electronic watch (wrist watch) that displays the time. The second operation target device 50 shown in FIG. 12 is an analog electronic clock (analog quartz clock) that displays the time by pointing to the index (scale) of the dial with physical pointers 51 (second hand 51a, minute hand 51b, hour hand 51c). ). The second operation target device 50 is not limited to this, and may be a digital electronic clock (digital quartz clock) that digitally displays the time, a combination electronic clock (combination quartz clock) that includes an analog pointer display and a part of the digital display. There may be.

The second operation target device 50 includes an operation unit 52. The operation unit 52 is a part that receives an external operation by a user or the like as various inputs to the second operation target device 50. The operation unit 52 is composed of, for example, a crown 52a, push buttons 52b, 52c, etc., which are provided so as to project from the outer peripheral surface of the outer case. The operation unit 52 receives various operations in conjunction with each part in the outer case in response to a pull-out / rotation operation on the crown 52a and a pressing operation on the push buttons 52b and 52c. The operation unit 52 may also include registering and the like.

After executing the process of restricting the disclosure of the created program, the processing unit 24 stores, for example, the operation target device 30 (first operation target device 40, second operation target device 50) that has already stored the created program. On the other hand, the process of restricting the use of the created program is executed.

Further, in this case, for example, the processing unit 24 executes the process of restricting the disclosure of the created program, and then the operation target device 30 (first operation target device 40, second operation target device) that has already stored the created program. It is possible to execute a process of notifying 50) that the use of the created program is restricted. In other words, this process is used after publication to notify that the publication of the created program is restricted when the first status information or the second status information is updated and the created program is closed after the fact. Corresponds to restriction notification processing.

For example, the processing unit 24 sends a notification to the effect that the use of the created program is restricted after the first status information or the second status information is updated and the process of restricting the disclosure of the created program is executed. The created program is transmitted to the first operation target device 40 that has already been stored via 22. The processing unit 24 identifies and identifies the first operation target device 40 that has already stored the created program by referring to, for example, the download history of each created program stored in the storage unit 23. 1 The notification is transmitted to the operation target device 40.

Then, when the first operation target device 40 receives a notification from the external device 20 that the use of the created program is restricted, for example, based on the received notification, the notification screen 800 illustrated in FIG. 12 is displayed on the display 44a. To display.

The notification screen 800 illustrated in FIG. 12 is a screen for notifying that the use of the creation program already stored in the first operation target device 40 is restricted. As an example, the notification screen 800 illustrated in FIG. 12 displays icon images 801, 802, and 803 related to the creation program downloaded from the external device 20 to the first operation target device 40. The icon images 801, 802, and 803 are images representing icons imitating the creation program, respectively, and here, a plurality of storage areas (slots "SL1, SL2, SL3") prepared in advance in the first operation target device 40. ) Represents the creation program stored in each.

On the notification screen 800, the first operation target device 40 displays the icon image of the creation program whose use is restricted, for example, the icon image 802 of the creation program stored in the slot SL2 in the example of FIG. 12, and another icon image 801. , 803 and the display mode are distinguished from each other to notify that the use of the created program is restricted.

At this time, the first operation target device 40 also notifies the second operation target device 50 paired with the first operation target device 40 that the use of the created program is restricted after the fact. You may do it. In this case, for example, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 12, the second operation target device 50 indicates a predetermined position by the second hand 51a, here, the character notation 53 of “INFO” representing “INFOMATION”. The user may be notified to urge the user to see the first operation target device 40. Then, the second operation target device 50 returns the second hand 51a to the original position (for example, the 12 o'clock position) by performing a predetermined approval operation, for example, a push button 52b, 52c pressing operation, and also performs the first operation. A notification that the predetermined approval operation has been performed is transmitted to the target device 40.

Then, the first operation target device 40 causes, for example, the notification screen 900 illustrated in FIG. 12 to be displayed on the display 44a, triggered by the predetermined approval operation in the second operation target device 50. The notification screen 900 is substantially the same as the above-mentioned notification screen 800, but differs from the notification screen 800 in that a private notification display area 901 is also displayed in addition to the above. The private notification display area 901 is an area for displaying a message notifying that the created program has been closed after the fact and its use has been restricted. As an example, "The application in use has been closed. A text image such as "Cannot be used because" is displayed.

Then, the processing unit 24 forcibly deletes the created program subject to the usage restriction from the first operation target device 40, or prevents the first operation target device 40 from executing the created program. Then, the use of the creation program is restricted.

The processing unit 24 causes, for example, display the above notification screens 800, 900, etc. when the program store or the like is displayed on the first operation target device 40 or when a predetermined program management application is started. The updated contents of the first status information and the second status information may be forcibly reflected. Further, when the first status information and the second status information are updated, the processing unit 24 may transmit the above-mentioned notification to the first operation target device 40 by so-called Push communication. good. Further, the processing unit 24 may send the above-mentioned notification to the e-mail address registered in advance associated with the user. Further, the second operation target device 50 has been described as indicating the character notation 53 of "INFO" by the second hand 51a when notifying the user to look at the first operation target device 40, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second hand 51a may indicate the character notation of "ERR" (not shown) representing "ERROR".

Further, when the use of the created program is restricted, the processing unit 24 notifies the device (operation target device 30 or the like) that has already stored the created program that the use of the created program is restricted. After execution, it is possible to execute a process of presenting a creation program as an alternative to the creation program whose use is restricted to the device. In other words, this process corresponds to an alternative program proposal process that proposes an alternative creation program when the publication of the creation program is restricted.

In this case, the processing unit 24 extracts, for example, a creation program similar to the creation program that is subject to usage restrictions and is deleted from the first operation target device 40 from the creation program stored in the creation program storage unit 23A. Here, the similar creation program is, for example, a creation program that includes the same items as the creation program that is subject to usage restrictions in terms of genre, category, function, intended use, and the like.

Then, the processing unit 24 presents the extracted creation program to the first operation target device 40 as an alternative creation program of the creation program subject to the usage restriction. For example, when the program store or the like is displayed on the first operation target device 40 or a predetermined program management application is started, the processing unit 24 displays the extracted created program on the display 44a. As a result, the program management system Sys1 can easily download a creation program similar to the creation program subject to usage restrictions as an alternative creation program again.

The program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 according to the modified example described above are the created programs that have already been released based on the updated contents of the first status information or the second status information. It is possible to execute the process of restricting publication. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can properly manage the created program even when the publication of the created program is restricted after the fact.

Here, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 according to the modified example described above execute a process of restricting the use of the created program to the device that has already stored the created program. It is possible. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can prevent the creation program whose publication is restricted after the fact from being used as it is, so that the creation program can be managed. Can be done properly.

In this case, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 according to the modified example described above notify the device that has already stored the created program that the use of the created program is restricted. It is possible to execute the processing to be performed. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can notify that the creation program whose disclosure is restricted after the fact cannot be used. For example, the creation program can be notified to the user. Can be suppressed from giving the impression that the device suddenly becomes unusable.

Further, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 according to the modified example described above are programs that are alternatives to the creation program whose use is restricted for the device that has already stored the creation program. It is possible to execute the process of presenting. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 smoothly create an alternative creation program similar to the creation program subject to usage restrictions without bothering the user. It can be easily set again as.

<Example of modification of program status information: 5th status information>
In the above description, the storage unit 23 on the external device 20 side has been described as storing the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, and the fourth status information as the status information of the creation program. Is not limited to this. The storage unit 23 may store yet another status information in addition to the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, and the fourth status information. Then, the processing unit 24 may manage the creation program based on still another status information in addition to the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, and the fourth status information.

The storage unit 23 according to the modified example shown in FIG. 13 further stores the fifth status information in addition to the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, and the fourth status information as the status information. That is, the storage unit 23 of this modification can store the creation program together with the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, the fourth status information, and the fifth status information.

Here, the status information storage unit 23B of the storage unit 23 is in addition to the first status information storage unit 23Ba, the second status information storage unit 23Bb, the third status information storage unit 23Bc, and the fourth status information storage unit 23Bd. , A fifth status information storage unit 23Be for storing the fifth status information is included.

The fifth status information storage unit 23Be is a storage area for storing the fifth status information as the status information. The fifth status information is information representing a user who can use the creation program. For example, "user identification information (user account ID, etc.)" for identifying a user who is invited to the creation program and is permitted to use the creation program. It is information representing such as. In other words, it can be said that the fifth status information is information representing a user who is invited to the creation program. The fifth status information is selected by the author via the selection screen or the like on the terminal device 10 side in the same manner as the second status information, the third status information, etc. described above, and is created by the processing unit 16 on the terminal device 10 side. Attached to.

As an example, after the creation program is created, the processing unit 16 can select the fifth status information about the created creation program through the selection screens 1000 and 1100 as shown in FIG. 14, for example. Further, the processing unit 16 shifts to the selection screens 1000 and 1100 as shown in FIG. 14 according to the operation of selecting a predetermined creation program on the management screen of the creation program, so that the fifth status of the created creation program is obtained. You may be asked to select information.

The processing unit 16 displays the selection screen 1000 illustrated in FIG. 14 on the display 14a, for example, after the creation of the creation program is completed or after the selection operation of the predetermined creation program on the management screen. The selection screen 1000 illustrated in FIG. 14 is a screen operated for selecting whether or not to invite a predetermined user to the created creation program. The selection screen 1000 may include, for example, an icon image 1001 representing the created creation program, a character image 1002 explaining the outline of the creation program, an icon image 1003 representing a trigger block constituting the creation program, and an icon image 1004 representing a service block. The invitation selection area 1006 is displayed together with the icon image 1005 and the like representing the action block. The invitation selection area 1006 is an area selected when a predetermined user is invited to the created creation program, and as an example, a character image such as "invite" is displayed.

When the invitation selection area 1006 is selected in response to the author's tap operation on the touch panel 13a on the selection screen 1000 illustrated in FIG. 14, the processing unit 16 displays, for example, the selection screen 1100 illustrated in FIG. 14 on the display 14a. Display it. The selection screen 1100 illustrated in FIG. 14 is a screen operated to select information about a user invited to the created creation program, that is, the fifth status information. On the selection screen 1100, for example, the invitee selection area 1101 and the message transmission selection area 1102 are displayed. The invitee selection area 1101 is an area selected for specifying the fifth status information including "user identification information (user account ID, etc.)" representing the user to be invited, and as an example, "inviter's selection area 1101". A blank image is displayed along with a character image such as "nickname or ID". The message transmission selection area 1102 is an area selected when sending a message to the invited user, and as an example, a character image such as "send an invitation message" is displayed.

When the invitee selection area 1101 is selected in response to the author's tap operation on the touch panel 13a on the selection screen 1100 illustrated in FIG. 14, the processing unit 16 displays, for example, a so-called software keyboard in the selection screen 1100. The author accepts an input operation of "user identification information" via the touch panel 13a.

When the message transmission selection area 1102 is selected in response to the author's tap operation on the touch panel 13a on the selection screen 1100 illustrated in FIG. 14, the processing unit 16 displays, for example, a so-called software keyboard in the selection screen 1100. The input operation of the "transmitted message" by the author is accepted via the touch panel 13a.

Then, when the various input operations by the author are completed on the selection screen 1100 shown in FIG. 14, the processing unit 16 provides the creation program with fifth status information including "user identification information", "sent message", and the like. Attach. Then, the processing unit 16 stores the created program to which the fifth status information is attached in the storage unit 15 together with various other information described above, and transmits and uploads the program to the external device 20.

Then, the storage unit 23 on the external device 20 side stores the creation program together with the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, the fourth status information, and the fifth status information. The fifth status information stored in the fifth status information storage unit 23Be is the creation program stored in the creation program storage unit 23A by the processing by the processing unit 24 and its meta, as in the case of other status information. It is stored in association with information. Then, the processing unit 24 can execute a process of managing the creation program based on the first status information, the second status information, the third status information, the fourth status information, and the fifth status information.

FIG. 15 is an example of a creation program list 1200 in which a plurality of creation programs are listed and stored in a database by the processing unit 24, similarly to FIG. 6 described above. The created program list 1200 illustrated in FIG. 15 is different from the created program list 400 illustrated in FIG. 6 in that a list related to the fifth status information is added.

As an example, the created program list 1200 shown in FIG. 15 is stored in the created program storage unit 23A, the first status information storage unit 23Ba, the second status information storage unit 23Bb, and the fifth status information storage unit 23Be, respectively. Based on the status information, the second status information, the fifth status information, and the meta information, the "name", "author", "author's account ID", "examination status", "public", and "application" of multiple creation programs In addition to "day", "invitation" is listed. The "invitation" is based on the fifth status information of the creation program, and represents, for example, "user identification information" to be invited to the creation program. The created program list 1200 can be displayed, for example, on a display unit (not shown) of the external device 20, a management device, or the like.

Then, the processing unit 24 stores, for example, the first status information stored in the first status information storage unit 23Ba, the second status information stored in the second status information storage unit 23Bb, and the fifth status information storage. Based on the fifth status information stored in the unit 23Be, it is possible to execute the process of disclosing the created program to the outside. For example, when the processing unit 24 publishes a creation program to which the first status information representing "approval" is attached and the second status information representing "limited release" is attached to the outside, the disclosure target is set. , It is possible to limit the user to the user corresponding to the "user identification information" represented by the fifth status information attached to the creation program, and not to disclose it to other users. That is, the processing unit 24 is, for example, a program in a device owned by a user corresponding to the "user identification information" represented by the fifth status information (for example, the above-mentioned terminal device 10 or the first operation target device 40). While the creation program is displayed as a downloadable creation program in a store or the like, the creation program is not displayed as a downloadable creation program in a program store or the like on a device owned by another user.

In other words, the processing unit 24 is created based on, for example, the first status information stored in the first status information storage unit 23Ba and the fifth status information stored in the fifth status information storage unit 23Be. It is possible to execute a process that makes the program downloadable. That is, the processing unit 24 is attached with the first status information representing "approval", and for the creation program to which the fifth status information is attached, the user corresponding to the "user identification information" represented by the fifth status information. The creation program can be downloaded to devices owned by the user, and cannot be downloaded to devices owned by other users.

In this case, as a result, the processing unit 24 represents the fifth status information for the creation program to which the second status information indicating "limited release" is attached and the fifth status information is also attached. Only the user corresponding to the "user identification information" can download the created program. That is, the processing unit 24 substantially has the first status information stored in the first status information storage unit 23Ba, the second status information stored in the second status information storage unit 23Bb, and the fifth. Based on the fifth status information stored in the status information storage unit 23Be, the process of making the creation program downloadable is being executed.

Further, as described above, the processing unit 24 can execute the process of making the created program downloadable based on the third status information in addition to the first status information and the fifth status information.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 14, the processing unit 24 according to this modification uses the creation program for a device associated with a user who can use the creation program based on the fifth status information. It is possible to execute the process of notifying that it is possible. In other words, this process corresponds to an invitation process for notifying a user who can use the creation program to invite the creation program.

Further, the processing unit 24 executes a process of notifying the device associated with the user who can use the creation program that the creation program can be used, and then the creation program in the device. It is possible to execute a process of downloading the creation program to the device when an operation for accepting the use of is performed.

Here, the device associated with the user is a device owned by the user, such as the terminal device 10 and the first operation target device 40 described above. In the example of FIG. 14, the device associated with the user is shown as the first operation target device 40.

In this case, the processing unit 24 notifies the user via the communication unit 22 that the created program can be used, for example, based on the "user identification information" represented by the fifth status information. It is transmitted to the associated first operation target device 40. When the first operation target device 40 receives a notification from the external device 20 that the created program can be used, for example, the notification screen 1300 illustrated in FIG. 14 is displayed on the display 44a based on the received notification. Display it.

The notification screen 1300 illustrated in FIG. 14 is a screen for notifying that the user associated with the first operation target device 40 has been invited to the creation program according to the fifth status information. The notification screen 1300 is, for example, a character image 1301 explaining the outline of the invited creation program, an icon image 1302 representing a trigger block constituting the invited creation program, an icon image 1303 representing a service block, and an icon representing an action block. A message display area 1305, an invitation approval selection area 1306, and an invitation non-approval selection area 1307 are displayed together with the image 1304 and the like. The message display area 1305 is an area for displaying a message notifying that the user has been invited to the creation program, and as an example, a character image such as "Message A has invited an application" is displayed. The message displayed in the message display area 1305 may be, for example, a "transmitted message" input by the author of the creation program on the selection screen 1100 illustrated in FIG. Information about the "sent message" is included in the fifth status information. The invitation approval selection area 1306 is an area selected when receiving an invitation to the creation program, and as an example, a character image such as "receive an invitation" is displayed. The invitation disapproval selection area 1307 is an area selected when the invitation to the creation program is not received, and as an example, a character image such as "not accept the invitation" is displayed.

When the invitation approval selection area 1306 is selected in response to the user's tap operation on the touch panel 43a on the notification screen 1300 illustrated in FIG. 14, the first operation target device 40 accepts, for example, an invitation to the creation program. A notification to that effect is transmitted to the external device 20. Here, the operation of selecting the invitation approval selection area 1306 corresponds to the operation of accepting the use of the creation program in the first operation target device 40 described above.

Then, when the processing unit 24 receives the notification that the invitation to the creation program is accepted from the first operation target device 40, the processing unit 24 executes the creation program at the program store or the like in the first operation target device 40 as described above. Display as a downloadable creation program. Then, when the final download operation is performed on the first operation target device 40, the processing unit 24 downloads the invited creation program to the first operation target device 40.

In this case, when the download of the invited creation program to the first operation target device 40 is completed, the processing unit 24 notifies the user that the invitation has been accepted via the communication unit 22 of the creation program. The process of transmitting to the terminal device 10 of the author of the above may be executed.

On the other hand, when the invitation disapproval selection area 1307 is selected in response to the user's tap operation on the touch panel 43a on the notification screen 1300 illustrated in FIG. 14, the first operation target device 40 is, for example, invited to the creation program. Is transmitted to the external device 20 to the effect that the above is not accepted.

Then, when the processing unit 24 receives the notification from the first operation target device 40 that the invitation to the creation program is not accepted, it remembers that the invitation was not accepted for the creation program in relation to the fifth status information and the like. Execute the process to be performed. Further, in this case, the processing unit 24 may execute a process of erasing the fifth status information itself attached to the creation program. Further, the processing unit 24 may execute a process of transmitting a notification that the invited user did not accept the invitation to the terminal device 10 of the author of the creation program via the communication unit 22. ..

The program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 according to the modification described above store the program in the external device 20 together with the fifth status information indicating a user who can use the created program. Then, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can execute, for example, a process that enables the created program to be downloaded by the processing unit 24 on the external device 20 side based on the fifth status information. be. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can download the created program only to the users defined in advance by the fifth status information.

Further, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 according to the modified example described above are for devices associated with users who can use the creation program based on the fifth status information. It is possible to execute a process of notifying that the creation program can be used. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can invite users who can use the creation program to the creation program.

Further, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 according to the modified example described above are operated to accept the use of the created program in the device associated with the user who can use the created program. In that case, it is possible to execute the process of downloading the created program to the device. As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can smoothly download the creation program to the device associated with the user who has accepted the invitation to the creation program.

As described above, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 according to the modified example smoothly perform the process of inviting the user to the creation program and downloading it without bothering the user. be able to.

<Modified example of approval examination: Automatic re-entry at the time of re-application>
In the above description, the processing unit 24 is a terminal when the creation program is not "approved" as a result of the approval examination of the creation program, that is, when the creation program is "disapproved" or "pending approval". The result of the approval examination may be notified to the device 10 side and a re-examination may be urged. In this case, the processing unit 24 transmits the result of the approval examination of the creation program to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 22. When the processing unit 16 of the terminal device 10 receives the result or message of the approval examination of the created program from the external device 20 via the communication unit 12, it is illustrated in FIG. 16 based on the result or message of the received approval examination. The notification screen 1400 may be displayed on the display 14a.

The notification screen 1400 illustrated in FIG. 16 is a screen for notifying the result of the approval examination of the creation program. The notification screen 1400 illustrated in FIG. 16 represents, as an example, a screen when the creation program is "disapproved", and the examination result display area 1402 together with the icon image 1401 relating to the creation program that is "disapproved". Is displayed. The icon image 1401 is an image representing an icon imitating a creation program that has become “unapproved”. The examination result display area 1402 is an area for displaying the result of the approval examination of the created program. Text images such as "<Reason> -Insufficient items required for application [Details]" and "Tap here for reexamination." Are displayed.

When "" To details] "is selected in response to the author's tap operation on the touch panel 13a on the notification screen 1400 illustrated in FIG. 16, the processing unit 16 has a detailed screen of deficiencies in the items required for the application, for example. , The details of the rejected items A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5 as described later are displayed on the display 14a. In response to this, the author of the created program can grasp detailed information on the rejected items and take countermeasures such as modifying the created program.

Then, when "here" is selected in response to the author's tap operation on the touch panel 13a on the notification screen 1400 illustrated in FIG. 16, the processing unit 16 displays the reexamination application screen on the display 14a.

Here, when applying for approval of the creation program, the communication unit 12 on the terminal device 10 side transmits the creation program to the external device 20 together with the application information input to the terminal device 10. The application information transmitted from the terminal device 10 to the external device 20 is input to the terminal device 10 via the input unit 13 in the terminal device 10 in order to be used for the approval examination of the creation program on the external device 20 side. Information. The application information includes, for example, the above-mentioned meta information, and also includes an icon image representing the creation program, the main body of the creation program, text information regarding the specifications, an icon image indicating the operation content, text information regarding the content description, and the like.

Then, the processing unit 24 of this modification is a matter that is not approved in the terminal device 10 when the creation program is not approved and when the application screen for reexamination is displayed on the display 14a as described above. It is possible to execute the process of changing the items to be automatically re-entered as application information according to the above. For example, the processing unit 24 temporarily stores the items entered at the time of the first application in the storage unit 23 in association with the applied creation program, the account ID of the author, etc., and when applying for reexamination, the processing unit 24 temporarily stores the items. If necessary, the items entered at the time of the first application are read from the storage unit 23 and automatically re-entered as application information.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence relationship between items that were not approved in the approval examination of the creation program and items that are automatically re-entered as application information at the time of reexamination.

In FIG. 17, application information I1, I2, I3, I4, and I5 represent application information input via the input unit 13 in the terminal device 10. Here, as an example, the application information I1 is the "icon image representing the creation program", the application information I2 is the "creation program body", the application information I3 is the "text information regarding the specifications", and the application information I4 is the "operation content". The "icon image indicating" and the application information I5 are "text information regarding the content explanation". The application information I4 may be text information such as a character string or a numerical string described in a data description language such as JSON.

On the other hand, in FIG. 17, the rejected items A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5 represent items that were not approved in the approval examination of the creation program. Here, as an example, the rejected item A1 is "not entered / incomplete in each item of the application information required for application", and the rejected item A2 is "insufficient support function such as help function and version upgrade support". The pass item A3 is "nonconformity of metadata such as capacity, file attributes, program structure, etc.", and the fail item A4 is "moral, antisocial, and customs such as that the content does not deviate from social common sense." "Nonconformity from the viewpoint" and the reject item A5 are "nonconformity in quality such as the existence of a bug, a long time to start, and freezing". Typically, the rejected items A1 and A2 do not require modification of the created program itself, and correspond to relatively minor items as rejected items. The rejected item A3 corresponds to an item whose contents of the created program may change significantly. The rejected item A4 corresponds to an item in which the possibility of reapplication is extremely low and the possibility of obtaining approval even after reexamination is extremely low. The rejected item A5 corresponds to an item in which the created program needs to be recreated from the ground up due to insufficient ability to create the program.

In the example of FIG. 17, when the creation program is not approved by the reject items A1 and A2, the processing unit 24 displays the application information I1, I2, on the reexamination application screen displayed on the display 14a of the terminal device 10. The process of automatically re-entering all the items of I3, I4, and I5 is executed.

Further, when the creation program is not approved by the reject item A3, the processing unit 24 displays the application information I1, I2, I3, I4, and I5 on the reexamination application screen displayed on the display 14a of the terminal device 10. Of these, only the application information I1 and I4 are automatically re-entered.

Further, when the creation program is not approved by the reject item A4, the processing unit 24 displays any of the application information I1, I2, I3, and I4 on the reexamination application screen displayed on the display 14a of the terminal device 10. , I5 should not be re-entered automatically.

Further, when the creation program is not approved by the reject item A5, the processing unit 24 displays the application information I1, I2, I3, I4, and I5 on the reexamination application screen displayed on the display 14a of the terminal device 10. Of these, the process of automatically re-entering only the application information I1 is executed.

As described above, in the example of FIG. 17, when the creation program is not approved due to the rejected items of relatively low importance, the processing unit 24 automatically re-enters a relatively large amount of application information. On the other hand, if the creation program is not approved due to a relatively important reject item, a relatively small number of application information is automatically re-entered.

Even if the created program is not approved once, the program management system Systems 1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 according to the modified example described above provide application information according to the unapproved items. By automatically re-entering, the trouble of re-applying can be suppressed and the troublesomeness can be suppressed.

On the other hand, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 can change the amount and items of the application information to be automatically re-entered according to the contents of the unapproved items. As a result, in the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10, for example, when the importance of the unapproved matter is high and the content of the created program is likely to be significantly changed. By reducing the amount of automatic re-entry and adjusting the items, it is possible to prevent the time and effort from being automatically re-entered.

As a result, the program management system Sys1, the external device 20, and the terminal device 10 automatically select items other than the items for which the application information is expected to be changed due to reapplication, for example, depending on the items that have not been approved. Since it is possible to input the information, it is possible to suppress the trouble of reapplying and the troublesomeness, and as a result, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the motivation to create the program.

The correspondence between the items that were not approved in the approval examination of the creation program and the items that are automatically re-entered as application information at the time of re-examination is not limited to the combination illustrated in FIG. Similarly, the content of application information and the content of rejected items are not limited to the above.

The program management system, the external device, and the terminal device according to the present embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the embodiments and modifications described above.

10 Terminal equipment 11 Power supply unit 12 Communication unit (terminal side communication unit)
13 Input unit 13a Touch panel 13b Voice input device 14 Output unit 14a Display (terminal side display unit)
14b Speaker 15 Storage unit (terminal side storage unit)
16 Processing unit (terminal processing unit)
20 External device 21 Power supply unit 22 Communication unit (external device side communication unit)
23 Storage unit 23A Creation program storage unit 23B Status information storage unit 23Ba 1st status information storage unit 23Bb 2nd status information storage unit 23Bc 3rd status information storage unit 23Bd 4th status information storage unit 23Be 5th status information storage unit 24 processing Department (external device side processing unit)
30 Operation target device 40 First operation target device 43a Touch panel 44a Display Second operation target device 50
51 Pointer 51a Second hand 51b Minute hand 51c Hour hand 52 Operation unit 52a Crown 52b, 52c Push button 53 Character notation 100, 200, 1000, 1100 Selection screen 101, 201, 501, 502, 503, 701, 801, 802, 1001, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1302, 1303, 1304, 1401 Icon image 202 Private selection area 203 Limited public selection area 204 Public selection area 300, 800, 900, 1300, 1400 Notification screen 400, 1200 Creation program list 500, 700 Profile screen 504, 505, 506 1st status image 702 4th status image 901 Private notification display area 1002, 1301 Character image 1006 Invitation selection area 1101 Invite selection area 1102 Message transmission selection area 1305 Message display area 1306 Invitation approval selection area 1307 Invitation Non-approved selection area 1402 Examination result display area N Network Sys1 Program management system

Claims (12)

A terminal device having a terminal-side processing unit capable of executing a process for creating a program and a terminal-side communication unit capable of transmitting the program created by the terminal-side processing unit to the outside.
An external device having an external device-side storage unit that stores the program transmitted from the terminal device, and an external device-side processing unit that can execute a process of approving the program stored in the external device-side storage unit. Equipped with equipment,
The program stored in the storage unit on the external device side is the approved program and the non-approved program.
The program is a block program or an application program in which the block programs are combined.
The external device side storage unit stores the approval or disapproval of the program as the first status information and the degree of disclosure of the program to the outside as the second status information together with the program.
The external device side processing unit
Based on the first status information, it is possible to execute the process of managing the program.
Based on the first status information and the second status information, it is possible to execute a process of exposing the program to the outside.
With respect to the approved application program and the non-approved application program related to the update or change of the first status information or the second status information of the block program. The second status information is updated or changed.
Program management system. The terminal device has a terminal-side display unit that is controlled by the terminal-side processing unit and can display an image.
The terminal-side processing unit causes the terminal-side display unit to display an image representing the program and a first status image representing the first status information of the program.
The program management system according to claim 1. After executing the process of restricting the disclosure of the program, the external device side processing unit can execute the process of restricting the use of the program to the device that has already stored the program.
The program management system according to claim 1 or 2. After executing the process of restricting the disclosure of the program, the processing unit on the external device side can execute the process of notifying the device that has already stored the program that the use of the program is restricted. ,
The program management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The processing unit on the external device side executes a process of notifying the device that has already stored the program that the use of the program is restricted, and then the processing unit of the program whose use is restricted to the device. It is possible to execute the process of presenting an alternative program,
The program management system according to claim 4. The external device side storage unit stores the program together with the third status information indicating the billing content of the program.
The external device side processing unit can execute a process that makes the program downloadable based on the first status information and the third status information.
The program management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The external device side storage unit stores the program together with the fourth status information indicating the usage status of the program.
The external device side processing unit can execute a process of calculating a reward for the program based on the fourth status information.
The program management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The external device side storage unit stores the program together with the fifth status information indicating a user who can use the program.
The external device side processing unit can execute a process that makes the program downloadable based on the first status information and the fifth status information.
The program management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Based on the fifth status information, the external device side processing unit can execute a process of notifying the device associated with the user who can use the program that the program can be used. be,
The program management system according to claim 8. The external device side processing unit executes a process of notifying the device associated with the user who can use the program that the program can be used, and then uses the program in the device. It is possible to execute the process of downloading the program to the device when the accept operation is performed.
The program management system according to claim 9. The program defines a service block program that defines output information output by the operation target device, the content of a trigger that activates an action for outputting the output information, and a trigger generation unit that generates the trigger. A trigger block program that causes a unit to generate the trigger, an action block program that defines the content of the action and an action execution unit that executes the action, and causes the action execution unit to execute the action, or the service block program and the service block program. The application program that combines the trigger block program and the action block program.
The program management system according to any one of claims 1 to 10. An external device-side communication unit that can receive the program transmitted from a terminal device that creates a program and can transmit the created program to the outside.
An external device-side storage unit that stores the program transmitted from the terminal device and received by the external device-side communication unit, and
It has an external device side processing unit capable of executing a process of approving the program stored in the external device side storage unit.
The program stored in the storage unit on the external device side is the approved program and the non-approved program.
The program is a block program or an application program in which the block programs are combined.
The external device side storage unit stores the approval or disapproval of the program as the first status information and the degree of disclosure of the program to the outside as the second status information together with the program.
The external device side processing unit
Based on the first status information, it is possible to execute the process of managing the program.
Based on the first status information and the second status information, it is possible to execute a process of exposing the program to the outside.
With respect to the approved application program and the non-approved application program related to the update or change of the first status information or the second status information of the block program. The second status information is updated or changed.
External device.

Images