JP5632109B2 - System capable of providing a plurality of digital contents and method using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a system and a method using the system, and more specifically, a system that is connected to a plurality of terminal devices operated by a plurality of users via a communication network and can provide a plurality of digital contents to the users. And a method using the same.

  Conventionally, as this type of system, a system that provides digital content such as music, moving images, games, electronic books, and the like that determines the user's preference according to the usage status of the content has been proposed (for example, patents). Reference 1). In this system, the display time of the digital content (electronic book) is recorded, and statistical information based on the display time is totaled to judge the user's preference, so that the content matching the preference can be proposed to the user. ing.

JP 2012-118705 A

  However, it becomes difficult to determine the preference of the user based on the usage status of the content with high accuracy as the types of content increase. That is, when the types of content used by the user increase, the usage of the content by the user is distributed to a plurality of various contents, and it is difficult to immediately determine the preference for a specific content from the usage status. Therefore, a mechanism that can more appropriately determine the user's preference is desired even in situations where the user uses various contents.

  An object of the present invention is to more appropriately determine a user's preference for content in a situation where the user uses various content. Other objects of the present invention will become apparent by referring to the entire specification.

  A system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a system that is connected to a plurality of terminal devices operated by a plurality of users via a communication network and is capable of providing a plurality of digital contents to the user. An information storage device that stores at least user information relating to the user including the usage history of the digital content and digital content information relating to the digital content including classification information for classifying the digital content, and can execute a predetermined program One or a plurality of processors, and the predetermined program identifies a user who satisfies a predetermined condition related to the usage history of one or a plurality of digital contents classified by the same classification information with respect to the classification information A determination module for determining a user; The determination result by the module and an user information updating module to be stored in the information storage device as part of the user information.

  A system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a system that is connected to a plurality of terminal devices operated by a plurality of users via a communication network and is capable of providing a plurality of digital contents to the user. The information storage means for storing at least user information relating to the user including the usage history of the digital content and digital content information relating to the digital content including classification information for classifying the digital content, and classification by the same classification information Determination means for determining a user who satisfies a predetermined condition regarding the usage history of one or a plurality of digital contents to be a specific user for the classification information, and a determination result by the determination means as a part of the user information User information updater stored in information storage means And, equipped with a.

  A method according to an embodiment of the present invention uses a system including an information storage device that is connected to a plurality of terminal devices operated by a plurality of users via a communication network and stores information. The digital content providing method includes: user information related to the user including a usage history of the digital content of the user; and digital content information related to the digital content including classification information for classifying the digital content. A user who satisfies a predetermined condition related to the usage history of one or more digital contents stored in an information storage device and classified by the same classification information is determined as a specific user for the classification information, and the determination result is Store in the information storage device as part of the user information .

  According to various embodiments of the present invention, the user's preference can be more appropriately determined in a situation where the user uses various contents.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a network configuration including a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows roughly the architecture of the terminal device in one Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the function of the system which concerns on one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the utilization log | history management table in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the fan management table in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the music management table in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the feed information management table in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the follow information management table in one Embodiment. The flow figure showing an example of contribution acceptance processing in one embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the posting acceptance screen in one Embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the fan determination process in one Embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the feed information transmission process in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the one display mode of the main screen in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the music reproduction screen in one Embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the recommendation user information transmission process in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the one display mode of the main screen in one Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, the same referential mark is attached | subjected to the component which is common in drawing.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a network configuration including a system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a system 10 according to an embodiment includes a plurality of terminal devices 30-1, 30-2,..., 30 -N (hereinafter, referred to as “communication functions”) via a communication network 20 such as the Internet. , And may be collectively referred to as “terminal device 30”), and provides various digital contents such as music, moving images, electronic books, and games to users who operate the terminal device 30.

  As illustrated, a system 10 according to an embodiment includes a CPU (processor) 11, a main memory 12, a user I / F 13, a communication I / F 14, an external memory 15, and a disk drive 16. These components are electrically connected to each other via a bus 17. The CPU 11 loads an operating system and various programs from the external memory 15 to the main memory 12 and executes instructions included in the loaded programs. The main memory 12 is used for storing a program executed by the CPU 11, and is constituted by, for example, a DRAM.

  The user I / F 13 includes, for example, an information input device such as a keyboard and a mouse that accepts an operator input, and an information output device such as a liquid crystal display that outputs a calculation result of the CPU 11. The communication I / F 14 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination thereof, and is configured to be able to communicate with the terminal device 30 via the communication network 20.

  The external memory 15 is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk drive, and stores a control program for controlling a digital content providing service. The external memory 15 can also store various data used in various digital content providing services. Various data that can be stored in the external memory 15 may be stored in a database server that is physically separate from the system 10 that is communicably connected to the system 10. The disk drive 16 reads data stored in various storage media such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and DVD-R, or writes data to these storage media. For example, various data used in providing applications and digital contents stored in a storage medium are read by the disk drive 16 and installed in the external memory 15.

  In one embodiment, the system 10 is a web server that manages a website composed of a plurality of web pages having a hierarchical structure, and can provide various digital contents to the terminal device 30. The terminal device 30 can acquire HTML data for displaying a web page from the system 10, analyze the acquired HTML data, and present the web page to the user of the terminal device 30. The external memory 15 also stores HTML data for displaying this web page. The HTML data is composed of an HTML document described in a markup language such as HTML, and various images are associated with the HTML document. A program written in a script language such as ActionScript or Javascript (registered trademark) can be embedded in the HTML document.

  The external memory 15 can also store an application executed on the execution environment other than the browser software in the terminal device 30. This application can include various data such as a program for receiving a digital content providing service and image data referred to when the program is executed. The program is created in an object-oriented programming language such as Objective-C or Java (registered trademark). The created program is stored in the external memory 15 as application software together with various data. The application software stored in the external memory 15 is distributed to the terminal device 30 in response to the distribution request. The application software does not necessarily have to be directly distributed from the system 10, and may be distributed via another system, a server device, or the like that is communicably connected to the system 10 and the terminal device 30. The application software distributed from the system 10 is received by the terminal device 30 via the communication I / F 34 under the control of the CPU 31, and the received program is transmitted and stored in the external memory 35. The application software is activated in response to an operation of the terminal device 30 by the user, and is executed on an execution environment such as NgCore (trademark) or Android (trademark) installed in the terminal device 30. The system 10 provides various data necessary for a digital content providing service to an application executed on the terminal device 30. Further, the system 10 stores various data transmitted from the terminal device 30 for each user, thereby managing the provision status of digital contents (for example, the viewing status of music and videos, the progress status of the game, etc.) for each user. can do.

  As described above, the system 10 manages websites that provide various digital contents, and distributes the web pages constituting the websites in response to requests from the terminal device 30, thereby providing digital contents to the user. Can be provided. Further, the system 10 can communicate with an application executed on the terminal device 30 in place of the digital content providing service using the browser or in addition to the digital content providing service using the browser. Digital content can be provided based on the above. Regardless of the manner in which the digital content is provided, the system 10 can store data necessary for the digital content providing service for each identification information for identifying each user. Although detailed description is omitted, the system 10 can also have a function of performing a user authentication process at the start of a digital content providing service and a billing process that occurs in response to the provision of the digital content.

  In one embodiment, the terminal device 30 is an arbitrary information processing device that displays a web page of a digital content providing service website acquired from the system 10 on a web browser and implements an execution environment for executing an application. It is.

  The architecture of the terminal device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually showing the architecture of the terminal device 30. As illustrated, the terminal device 30 includes a CPU 31, a main memory 32, a user I / F 33, a communication I / F 34, and an external memory 35, and these components are electrically connected to each other via a bus 36. Connected.

  The CPU 31 loads various programs such as an operating system from the external memory 35 to the main memory 32 and executes instructions included in the loaded program. The main memory 32 is used for storing a program executed by the CPU 31, and is constituted by, for example, a DRAM.

  The user I / F 33 includes, for example, an information input device such as a touch panel that accepts user input, a keyboard, buttons, and a mouse, and an information output device such as a liquid crystal display that outputs the calculation results of the CPU 31. The communication I / F 34 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination thereof, and is configured to be able to communicate with the system 10 via the communication network 20.

  The external memory 35 is configured by, for example, a magnetic disk drive, a flash memory, or the like, and stores various programs such as an operating system. Further, when an application is received from the system 10 via the communication I / F 34, the external memory 35 stores the received application.

  The terminal device 30 having such an architecture includes, for example, browser software for interpreting an HTML format file (HTML data) and displaying it on the screen, and HTML data acquired from the system 10 by the function of the browser software. And a web page corresponding to the received HTML data can be displayed. Further, the terminal device 30 includes plug-in software (for example, Flash Player provided by Adobe Systems) incorporated in browser software, and acquires a SWF format file embedded in HTML data from the system 10. The SWF format file can be executed using browser software and plug-in software.

  When receiving a digital content providing service by the terminal device 30, for example, an animation or an operation icon instructed by the program is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 30. The user can input an instruction for receiving a digital content providing service using the input interface of the terminal device 30. The instruction input from the user is transmitted to the system 10 through functions of the execution environment such as the browser of the terminal device 30 and NgCore (trademark).

  Next, functions of the system 10 realized by the components shown in FIG. 1 will be described. As described above, the system 10 can provide various digital contents. However, as an example suitable for the description of an embodiment of the present invention, functions related to a music providing service will be mainly described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the system 10 includes a service control unit 51 that controls the entire digital content providing service, an information storage unit 52 that stores information, and one or more pieces of music (digital content) of the same artist (classification information). ), A determination unit 53 that determines that a user who satisfies a predetermined condition relating to the usage history is a fan (specific user) of this artist, and a user information update unit 54 that stores a determination result by the determination unit 53 in the information storage unit 52; The post accepting unit 55 that stores the post (display content) received from the terminal device 30 in the information storage unit 52 in association with the user who operates the terminal device 30 and the feed information (posts and various articles) are extracted. Same as the feed information transmission unit 56 to be transmitted to the terminal device 30 and the artist whose user is determined to be a fan Comprising decides recommended user to recommend some or all of the other users who are determined to artist fan to the user and recommended user information transmitting unit 57 for transmitting information about the recommended user to the terminal device 30. These functions are realized by the cooperation of various programs and tables stored in the CPU 11, the main memory 12, and the external memory 15 of the system 10. For example, the determination unit 53 and the user information update unit 54. This is realized by the CPU 11 executing a program including modules corresponding to the functions of the posting receiving unit 55, the feed information transmitting unit 56, and the recommended user information transmitting unit 57.

  The service control unit 51 controls the digital content providing service for each user by transmitting and receiving various data necessary for the digital content providing service to and from the terminal device 30 and managing the data for each user. Can do. For example, the service control unit 51 causes the terminal device 30 to sequentially display web pages constituting a website that provides a service in response to a request from the terminal device 30. When a hyperlink on the displayed web page is selected by the user, the service control unit 51 transmits new HTML data corresponding to the hyperlink to the terminal device 30. In the terminal device 30, a web page based on the new HTML data is displayed. Thus, since the web page memorize | stored in the system 10 is sequentially provided to the terminal device 30 according to a user's operation by the service control part 51, a user performs own operation by the function of the service control part 51. Based on the service.

  The terminal device 30 can appropriately transmit various types of information used in the digital content providing service to the system 10 using browser software and application functions. The service control unit 51 can control the digital content providing service for each user by storing various types of information received from the plurality of terminal devices 30 for each user.

  The information storage unit 52 includes a usage history management table 52a that manages information related to the usage history of music by the user, and a fan management table 52b that manages information related to the determination result by the determination unit 53 regarding whether or not the user is a fan of an artist. A music management table 52c that manages information related to music, a feed information management table 52d that manages information that can be provided as feed information to the terminal device 30, and a follow information management that manages information related to other users that the user follows A table 52e and a music database 52f, which is a music data database, are provided.

  An example of information managed in the usage history management table 52a is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the usage history management table 52a indicates the number of times this user has played (used) this song in association with a combination of a “user ID” that identifies the user and a “music ID” that identifies the song. Information such as a certain “number of times of reproduction” is managed as a part of user information. This usage history management table 52a is updated by the service control unit 51 every time a music piece is reproduced by the terminal device 30 operated by the user. In the music providing service provided by the system 10, when the user reproduces the music, only “a part of the music data (for example, the chorus part)” is played by streaming delivery, and the entire music data is streamed. The user can select three playback methods: “full viewing” for playback and “download” (purchase) for downloading and distributing the entire music data. In one embodiment, among these three playback methods, the playback of the music by “trial listening” is not counted as “the number of playbacks”, and the playback of the music by “full viewing” is the streaming distribution of the entire music data. Is counted as “number of reproductions”, and the reproduction of music by “download” is counted as “number of reproductions” when download distribution of music data is completed. The method of counting as the “number of times of reproduction” is not limited to this, and various methods can be adopted. For example, for the reproduction of a song by “full viewing”, even if the streaming distribution of the entire song data is not completed, the streaming delivery of the portion of the song data for a predetermined time or more (for example, 1 minute or more) is performed. As for the reproduction of the music by counting as “number of times of reproduction” or “downloading”, it is assumed that the music data after download distribution that cannot be managed by the system 10 is reproduced using the terminal device 30 or a device other than the terminal device 30. For example, a method of counting as a “number of times of reproduction” a predetermined number of times (for example, 10 times) may be employed.

  An example of information managed in the fan management table 52b is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the fan management table 52b uses information such as a combination of a “user ID” for identifying a user and an “artist ID” for identifying an artist determined to be a fan as part of the user information. to manage.

  An example of information managed in the music management table 52c is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the music management table 52c is associated with a “music ID” that identifies a music, and includes information such as “music name” that is the name of this music and “artist ID” that identifies the artist of this music. to manage. The music management table 52c may manage information such as images corresponding to music, album names, and other metadata such as release date. The information managed in the music management table 52c can be managed in the music database 52f together with the music data.

  An example of information managed in the feed information management table 52d is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the feed information management table 52d is associated with a “feed information ID” that identifies individual feed information such as a post by a user or various articles, and identifies a user who has posted this feed information. "Posted date and time" indicating the date and time when this feed information was posted, "Artist ID" identifying an artist related to this feed information, "Music ID" identifying a song related to this feed information, Information such as “feed information content” indicating the content is managed. In one embodiment, the feed information managed by the feed information management table 52d includes a post by a user and various articles provided by an operator of the system 10. Various articles provided by the operator can be automatically registered in cooperation with external websites and databases, and information including links to such external websites and databases can be used as feed information. It can also be set as “content”. Further, in the case of various articles provided by the operator, an ID for identifying a provider of various articles is set in the “user ID”, and the registration date and time of various articles is set in the “post date”. .

  An example of information managed in the follow information management table 52e is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the follow information management table 52e manages information related to a combination of a “user ID” that identifies a user and a “follow user ID” that identifies other users that this user follows.

In the music database 52f, music data that can be provided to the user is AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) or WMA (Windows (registered trademark) Media).
(Audio) and the like. Note that the music database 52f is not necessarily arranged in the system 10, and may be arranged in another system, a server device, a database, or the like that is communicably connected to the system 10.

  Next, the operation of the system 10 thus configured as an embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, operations related to posting by the user will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a post acceptance process executed by the system 10. For the convenience of explanation, first, a post acceptance screen for accepting posts from users will be described.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a post acceptance screen 60 displayed on the terminal device 30. As shown in the figure, the posting acceptance screen 60 transmits a posting input area 62 for inputting posting contents, a playback history acquisition button 64 for acquiring a playback history of music by the user, and the input posting contents to the system 10. And a posting button 66. The posting input area 62 can input the contents of posting by the user by inputting text or attaching an image. When the user operating the terminal device 30 selects the posting button 66, the posting input area 62 is input. The posted content is transmitted to the system 10.

  Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 9, in the post acceptance process, when there is a request to acquire a music playback history from the terminal device 30, the music playback history of the user operating the terminal device 30 is transmitted to the terminal device 30. (Steps S100 and S102). Specifically, when the reproduction history acquisition button 64 on the posting acceptance screen 60 is selected by the user and a reproduction history acquisition request is transmitted from the terminal device 30, the reproduction history (music ID) of the user who operates the terminal device 30 is transmitted. ) Is acquired from the usage history management table 52a and the corresponding information such as “music name” is acquired from the music management table 52c and transmitted to the terminal device 30 as a playback history. In the terminal device 30 that has received this playback history, information (for example, song name, artist name, etc.) related to the songs included in the user's playback history is displayed in a list format, and the user is selected from the songs displayed in this list format. When the desired music is selected, information for identifying the selected music (for example, “music ID”) is input to the posting input area 62. That is, the user who operates the terminal device 30 can associate the posted content with the desired music piece by selecting the desired music piece from the reproduction history obtained by selecting the reproduction history obtaining button 64. The post content and the desired music piece may be associated with each other by a method other than the method of inputting information for identifying the music piece into the post input area 62. For example, an area for setting the related music piece is set as the post input area. It may be provided separately from 62. Note that the user who operates the terminal device 30 can also input the posting content without associating with the music.

  Then, when the posted content is received from the terminal device 30, the received posted content is registered in the feed information management table 52d (steps S104 and S106), and the posting acceptance process is terminated. Specifically, among the information managed by the feed information management table 52d, the current date and time managed by the system 10 is set in the “post date”, and the artist of the song associated with the posted content is set in the “artist ID”. “Artist ID” is set, “Music ID” is set to “Music ID” of the music associated with the posted content, and “Feed information content” is the post input area 62 of the post acceptance screen 60. The content entered in is set.

  The operation related to posting by the user has been described above. Next, an operation related to determination of an artist's fan will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a fan determination process executed by the system 10. This fan determination process is executed when the user of the terminal device 30 completes the music reproduction. Here, “when the music playback is completed” is the timing when the music playback is completed in the state counted as the “number of playbacks” described above. For example, in one embodiment, the music data by “full viewing” Corresponds to the time when the entire streaming distribution of the music data is completed or the music data download distribution by “download” is completed.

  In the fan determination process, first, as shown in the figure, the usage history management table 52a is updated regarding the reproduction of the completed music (step S200). Specifically, the record corresponding to the combination of the “user ID” of the user of the terminal device 30 and the “music ID” of the music that has been reproduced is updated. More specifically, when this user plays this song for the first time, the record is newly created and the value “1” is set in the “number of playbacks”, and this user plays this song in the past. If there is, “1” is added to the value of “play count” of the existing record.

  Next, the total number of reproductions by this user of all the songs of the artist whose music has been reproduced is summed up. If the total number of reproductions is equal to or greater than a predetermined number P (for example, 5 times), this user is designated as this artist. (Steps S202 and S204). Specifically, the total number of times of reproduction is specified by referring to the music management table 52c for all the songs of the artist who has completed the reproduction, and the usage history management is performed for the number of times the user has played all the specified music pieces. This is done by referring to the table 52a and summing up the specified number of reproductions.

  If the user is determined to be a fan of the artist in this way, the determination result is registered in the fan management table 52b (step S206), and this fan determination process is terminated. Specifically, a combination of the “user ID” of the user determined to be a fan and the “artist ID” of the artist is registered in the fan management table 52b. In addition to the fan determination by the fan determination process, the user who operates the terminal device 30 may register an artist who is a fan himself. In this case, the user operating the terminal device 30 may transmit information about the artist who is a fan via an appropriate screen, and the system 10 may register the information in the fan management table 52b based on the transmitted information.

  The operation related to the determination of the artist's fan has been described above. Next, an operation for transmitting feed information to the terminal device 30 will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of feed information transmission processing executed by the system 10. This feed information transmission process is executed when a display request for a screen including feed information is received from the terminal device 30. In the feed information transmission process, first, as illustrated, feed information posted by a user operating the terminal device 30 is extracted from the feed information management table 52d (step S300). Specifically, a record in which the “user ID” of the feed information management table 52 d is the “user ID” of the user of the terminal device 30 is extracted.

  Next, feed information posted by a follow user who operates the terminal device 30 is extracted from the feed information management table 52d (step S302). Specifically, the “user ID” (“follow user ID”) of the follow user of the user who operates the terminal device 30 with reference to the follow information management table 52e is specified, and the “user ID” of the specified follow user is specified. Extracts a record set in the “user ID” of the feed information management table 52d.

  Subsequently, feed information (posts and various articles) related to the artist determined as a fan by the user operating the terminal device 30 is extracted (step S304). Specifically, the user who operates the terminal device 30 with reference to the fan management table 52b specifies the “artist ID” of the artist determined as the fan, and the “artist ID” of the specified artist is the feed information management. A record set in “Artist ID” in the table 52d is extracted.

  Thus, the feed information managed by the feed information management table 52d is related to the feed information posted by the user operating the terminal device 30, the feed information posted by the follow user, and the artist determined as a fan. When the feed information to be extracted is extracted, screen data including the feed information is generated and transmitted to the terminal device 30 (step S306), and the feed information transmission process is terminated. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing one display mode of the main screen 70 as an example of a screen including feed information displayed on the terminal device 30. The main screen 70 is a basic screen for receiving a music providing service, and includes a main display unit 72 and a display switching instruction unit 74 for switching contents displayed on the main display unit 72 as shown in the figure. Have. The display switching instruction unit 74 includes a library button 74a for displaying music that can be provided by the system 10, a timeline button 74b for displaying feed information, an artist page for posting information on a specific artist, and the like. A search button 74c for searching the user and an account button 74d for displaying basic information of the user. In the example of FIG. 13, the timeline button 74 b of the display switching instruction unit 74 is selected, and feed information is displayed in a list format on the main display unit 72. This feed information is extracted by the above-described feed information transmission process and transmitted to the terminal device 30. For example, the feed information is sorted in descending order (that is, in ascending order) in the posting date and time (managed by “posting date and time” in the feed information management table 52d). As shown in the figure, each feed information displayed on the main screen 70 has an image and a name for specifying a user who posted the feed information and a distribution source of various articles displayed in the upper left corner, and the feed information in the upper right corner. The elapsed time and number of days since the information was posted or registered are displayed, and the contents (text and images) of the posts and various articles are displayed in the lower half. Further, as exemplified in the feed information 72a, when the feed information is associated with a music piece, a music reproduction area PA for reproducing the music piece is displayed. In the music playback area PA, basic information on music (images corresponding to music, music titles, artist names, etc.) and playback buttons are displayed. When the user operating the terminal device 30 selects the playback button, A music playback screen 80 for playing back the corresponding music is popped up.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the music playback screen 80. As shown in the figure, the music playback screen 80 displays basic information of the music at the top of the screen, a purchase button 82 for “downloading” (purchasing) the music, and “listening” for the music at the bottom of the screen. A trial listening button 84 and a full viewing button 86 for “full viewing” of the music are provided. When the user operating the terminal device 30 selects the purchase button 82, the entire music data of the corresponding music stored in the music database 52f is downloaded and distributed, and when the audition button 84 is selected, only a part of the music data is streamed. When the full viewing button 86 is selected, the entire music data is streamed. As described above, the user who operates the terminal device 30 can reproduce the music via the music reproduction screen 80 from the feed information displayed on the main screen 70, for example, the feed information posted by the follow user. When the purchase button (“want”) 82 is selected, download distribution may not be performed immediately, but the download (purchase) may be registered in a desired list. In this case, music data may be downloaded based on this list via a separately prepared download screen.

  The operation for transmitting the feed information to the terminal device 30 has been described above. Next, an operation related to the recommendation of another user to the user will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of recommended user information transmission processing executed by the system 10. The recommended user information transmission process is executed when a display request for a screen including recommended user information is received from the terminal device 30. In the recommended user information transmission process, first, as shown in the figure, the user who operates the terminal device 30 is identified as an artist (step S400). Specifically, in the fan management table 52b, the “artist ID” in which the combination with the “user ID” of the user of the terminal device 30 is registered is specified.

  Subsequently, another user who is determined to be a fan of the same artist as the artist who is determined to be a fan by the user who operates the terminal device 30 is specified (step S402). Specifically, in the fan management table 52b, the “user ID” in which the combination of the “artist ID” of the artist whose user of the terminal device 30 is determined as a fan is registered is specified.

  And the screen data of the screen containing the information regarding the specified other user are produced | generated, and it transmits to the terminal device 30 (step S404), and this recommended user information transmission process is complete | finished. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing one display mode of the main screen 70 as an example of a screen including recommended user information displayed on the terminal device 30. In the main screen 70 of this example, the search button 74c of the display switching instruction unit 74 is selected, and information on the recommended user is displayed in a list format on the main display unit 72. Information regarding the recommended user is extracted by the recommended user information transmission process described above and transmitted to the terminal device 30. In one embodiment, both the user operating the terminal device 30 and the recommended user are sorted in descending order by the number of artists determined as fans (that is, in descending order of the number of artists who are both fans). Yes. As shown in the figure, the information related to each recommended user displayed on the main screen 70 includes an image and name display for identifying the recommended user on the upper side, and both the user and the recommended user who operate the terminal device 30 on the lower side. Includes a display of information about the artist identified as a fan. As shown in the figure, a follow button 92a is displayed on the right side of the information related to each recommended user. When the user operating the terminal device 30 selects the follow button 92a, the corresponding recommended user can be followed. Specifically, the follow information management table 52e is updated so that the corresponding recommended user becomes a follow user of the user who operates the terminal device 30. In addition, after the user who operates the terminal device 30 in step S402 of the recommended user information transmission process identifies another user who is determined to be a fan of the same artist as the artist, the user and the other user are identified. It is also possible to further specify and narrow down other users whose number of artists determined to be both fans is a predetermined number or more (for example, 5 or more), and use the narrowed-down other users as recommended users. Alternatively, the user who operates the terminal device 30 may be another user who is determined as a fan of all artists determined as fans.

  According to the system 10 in the embodiment described above, a user whose total number of reproductions of one or a plurality of music pieces (digital contents) of the same artist (classification information) is equal to or more than a predetermined number P is regarded as a fan of this artist ( Specific user). Therefore, in a situation where the user uses various musical pieces, it is possible to easily determine the artist that the user likes, and to more appropriately determine the user's preference for the musical piece.

  In addition, according to the system 10 in one embodiment, feed information (display content) related to an artist determined as a fan by the user can be extracted and transmitted to the terminal device 30 operated by the user. Therefore, it is possible to transmit feed information according to the user's preference for music.

  Furthermore, according to the system 10 in one embodiment, another user determined to be a fan of the same artist as the artist determined to be a fan is determined as a recommended user, and information regarding the determined recommended user is obtained. It transmits to the terminal device 30 which a user operates. Therefore, the information regarding the recommended user according to the user's preference for music can be transmitted.

  In the system 10 according to an embodiment, a user whose total number of reproductions of the music of the same artist is greater than or equal to a predetermined number is determined as a fan of this artist. Other conditions may be used as long as the conditions are related to the playback history (use history). For example, a user whose total music playback time is a predetermined time or more is determined as a fan, a user whose number of played music is a predetermined number or more is determined as a fan, or a music playback time is a predetermined number of days or more The user can also be determined as a fan.

  In the system 10 according to the embodiment, “artist” is applied as the classification information for classifying the music, but other information can also be applied as the classification information. For example, a genre and a label of music may be applied as classification information, and a user whose total number of reproductions of music of the same genre and label may be determined as a specific user of this genre and label. Any information other than artist, genre, and label can be used as classification information, as long as it is information that classifies music.

  In the embodiment, the music providing service as an example of the digital content has been mainly described. However, the processing and procedure described in this specification are applied to a system that provides various digital contents including moving images, electronic books, and games. Can be applied.

  The processes and procedures described in this specification are implemented by software, hardware, or any combination thereof other than those explicitly described in the embodiments. More specifically, the processes and procedures described in this specification are performed by mounting logic corresponding to the processes on a medium such as an integrated circuit, a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical storage. Realized. Further, the processes and procedures described in this specification can be implemented as a computer program and executed by various computers.

  Even if the processes and procedures described herein are described as being performed by a single device, software, component, or module, such processes or procedures may be performed by multiple devices, multiple software, multiple Component and / or multiple modules. In addition, even though the data, tables, or databases described herein are described as being stored in a single memory, such data, tables, or databases are provided on a single device. Alternatively, the data can be distributed and stored in a plurality of memories or a plurality of memories arranged in a plurality of devices. Further, the software and hardware elements described herein may be implemented by integrating them into fewer components or by decomposing them into more components.

  In the present specification, when the constituent elements of the invention are described as one or a plurality, or when they are described without being limited to one or a plurality of cases, they should be understood separately in context. The component may be either singular or plural.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 System 20 Communication network 30 Terminal device 51 Service control part 52 Information storage part 53 Judgment part 54 User information update part 55 Posting reception part 56 Feed information transmission part 57 Recommended user information transmission part 60 Contribution reception screen 70 Main screen 80 Music reproduction screen

Claims (8)

A system that is connected to a plurality of terminal devices operated by a plurality of users via a communication network and can provide a plurality of digital contents to the user,
User information relating to the user including the usage history of the digital content of the user and related user information relating to a combination of the user and one or more other users selected by the user, and classification information for classifying the digital content An information storage device that stores at least digital content information related to the digital content including a plurality of display contents that can be displayed on the terminal device;
One or a plurality of processors capable of executing a predetermined program,
The predetermined program is
A determination module that determines a user who satisfies a predetermined condition related to the use history of one or more digital contents classified by the same classification information as a specific user for the classification information;
A user information update module for storing a determination result by the determination module in the information storage device as a part of the user information;
A receiving module that receives display content from the terminal device, and stores the display content in the information storage device in association with a user operating the terminal device;
A condition for extracting display content to be displayed to a user operating the terminal device from among the plurality of display contents in response to a request from the terminal device, and the user is determined to be the specific user. An extraction including at least a condition for extracting display content related to the classification information and a condition for extracting the display content associated with another user associated with the user according to the related user information A display content transmission module that extracts one or more display contents to be displayed to the user from the plurality of display contents based on a condition and transmits the extracted content to the terminal device;
With
The display content related to the classification information includes display content related to the digital content classified by the classification information,
When the received display content is associated with the digital content, the reception module stores the display content in the storage device in association with the digital content.
system.   2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition includes, as at least one of the conditions, that a total number of times of use of one or a plurality of digital contents classified by the same classification information is equal to or more than a predetermined number. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The extraction condition further includes a condition of extracting the display content associated with the user.
system. The predetermined program recommends a part or all of other users determined to be the specific user to the same classification information as the classification information determined to be the specific user. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a recommended user information transmission module that determines a recommended user and transmits information on the determined recommended user to a terminal device operated by the user.   The system according to claim 4, wherein the recommended user information transmission module determines the recommended user based at least on the number of the classification information in which both the user and the other user are determined to be the specific user. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The digital content includes at least one of a music, a video, an electronic book, and a game,
The classification information includes persons, groups, companies and other entities related to the digital content.
system. A system that is connected to a plurality of terminal devices operated by a plurality of users via a communication network and can provide a plurality of digital contents to the user,
User information relating to the user including the usage history of the digital content of the user and related user information relating to a combination of the user and one or more other users selected by the user, and classification information for classifying the digital content Information storage means for storing at least at least digital content information relating to the digital content including a plurality of display contents that can be displayed on the terminal device;
A determination unit that determines a user who satisfies a predetermined condition related to the use history of one or more digital contents classified by the same classification information as a specific user for the classification information;
User information update means for storing the determination result by the determination means in the information storage means as part of the user information;
Receiving means for receiving display content from the terminal device, and storing the display content in the information storage device in association with a user operating the terminal device;
A condition for extracting display content to be displayed to a user operating the terminal device from among the plurality of display contents in response to a request from the terminal device, and the user is determined to be the specific user. An extraction including at least a condition for extracting display content related to the classification information and a condition for extracting the display content associated with another user associated with the user according to the related user information Display content transmission means for extracting one or more display contents to be displayed to the user from the plurality of display contents based on a condition and transmitting the extracted contents to the terminal device;
With
The display content related to the classification information includes display content related to the digital content classified by the classification information,
When the received display content is associated with the digital content, the reception unit stores the display content in the storage device in association with the digital content.
system. A method for providing a plurality of digital contents to a user using a system including an information storage device that is connected to a plurality of terminal devices operated by a plurality of users via a communication network and stores information.
User information relating to the user including the usage history of the digital content of the user and related user information relating to a combination of the user and one or more other users selected by the user, and classification information for classifying the digital content Including digital content information related to the digital content including a plurality of display contents that can be displayed on the terminal device in the information storage device,
A user who satisfies a predetermined condition related to the usage history of one or more digital contents classified by the same classification information is determined as a specific user for the classification information,
Storing the determination result in the information storage device as part of the user information;
Receiving display content from the terminal device, storing the display content in the information storage device in association with a user operating the terminal device,
When the received display content is associated with the digital content, the display content is associated with the digital content and stored in the storage device,
A condition for extracting display content to be displayed to a user operating the terminal device from among the plurality of display contents in response to a request from the terminal device, and the user is determined to be the specific user. An extraction including at least a condition for extracting display content related to the classification information and a condition for extracting the display content associated with another user associated with the user according to the related user information Based on the conditions, one or more display contents to be displayed to the user are extracted from the plurality of display contents and transmitted to the terminal device,
The display content related to the classification information includes display content related to digital content classified by the classification information.
Method.

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