JP6382026B2 - Message transmission server, external device, message transmission system, message transmission server control method, control program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a server that transmits a message according to an operating state or the like of an external device, an external device that receives a message from a message transmission server, a message transmission system including these, and the like.

  In recent years, home appliances that speak are popular. There are also home appliances that connect to the Internet and make utterances based on weather information. In addition, there are systems that monitor usage of home appliances and provide power-saving advice, and systems that display advice content on a user's smartphone.

  Patent Document 1 describes a system that evaluates the use of home appliances for each user and provides the results for each user.

JP 2013-191912 A (published September 26, 2013)

  However, the above-described prior art has the following problems. For example, when the utterance is performed using the weather information, only the weather information is used, so that the utterance content is not always appropriate. Further, when the use of home appliances is evaluated and the result is provided to the user, since the evaluation is based only on the use of home appliances, the provided result is not necessarily appropriate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to realize a message transmission server or the like that presents an appropriate message to the user in accordance with the state and environment of the device.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a message transmission server according to one aspect of the present invention is a message transmission server that transmits a message regarding one or more external devices, and obtains provision information from an external information provision apparatus. A message is created using provided information acquisition means, external device information acquisition means for acquiring external device information relating to any of the one or more external devices, and the provided information and external device information. Transmitting the external device information to the external device, and posting the posted information as a subject to an information processing apparatus that provides a service that can be shared by a plurality of users. Message creating means for performing at least one of them.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that a more appropriate message can be created as compared with a case where a message is created using only provided information or only external device information.

It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the agent server which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the whole outline | summary of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of data stored in the memory | storage part in the said Embodiment 1, (a) is a figure which shows the example of an utterance table, (b) is a figure which shows the example of apparatus information. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the household appliance which concerns on the said Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the flow of the process in the said Embodiment 1. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the portable information terminal in the said Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the utterance example of the household appliance in the said Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the agent server which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the flow of the process in the said Embodiment 2. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the agent server which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the flow of the process in the said Embodiment 3. It is the block diagram which illustrated the composition of the computer which can be used as the above-mentioned agent server. It is a figure which shows the example of the speech table in Embodiment 4 of this invention.

〔Overview〕
First, an outline of the message transmission system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overall outline of the message transmission system 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the message transmission system 100 includes an agent server (message transmission server) 1, a family message board server (information processing device) 2, a home server 3, a weather information server (information providing device) 4, a cleaning robot ( External device) 51, home device (external device) 52, and portable information terminal 70 are included (in the case where it is not necessary to distinguish between portable information terminals 70a, 70b, and 70c, they are described as portable information terminal 70). Note that the cleaning robot 51, the household device 52, and the portable information terminal 70 do not necessarily have to be included. Moreover, the agent server 1, the family message board server 2, and the weather information server 4 do not need to be divided into a plurality of servers, and may be one.

  In the message transmission system 100, the agent server 1 acquires device information (external device information) of the cleaning robot 51 and the home device 52 via the home server 3, and receives weather information (provided information) from the weather information server 4. get. Then, a message is created using the device information and the weather information, and the message is sent to the home device 52, or the message is displayed on the portable information terminal 70 (70a, 70b, 70c). By creating a message using device information and weather information, it is possible to create a more appropriate message for the user than when creating a message using either device information or weather information. .

  The family message board server 2 allows the portable information terminal 70 to display a message by writing the message S received from the agent server 1 on the family message board (a service in which posted writing can be shared by a plurality of users). is there.

  The home server 3 acquires device information of the connected cleaning robot 51 and home device 52 and transmits it to the agent server 1. The device information includes operation information (information indicating an operation state) of the cleaning robot 51 and the home device 52, an operation mode, environmental information acquired by the cleaning robot 51 and the home device 52, time information, and the like. Moreover, environmental information is the temperature around the said apparatus, humidity, the degree of air pollution (for example, the quantity of pollen, the density | concentration of PM2.5, etc.), etc.

  Further, the home server 3 receives the message K from the agent server 1 and transmits it to the corresponding cleaning robot 51 or home device 52. Accordingly, the cleaning robot 51 or the home device 52 that has received the message K can utter the message K.

  The weather information server 4 transmits weather information to the agent server 1 in response to a request from the agent server 1. The weather information to be transmitted may be information indicating the weather, or information indicating an event corresponding to the weather (for example, the amount of pollen exceeds a predetermined value).

  Note that the portable information terminal 70 according to the present embodiment can control the home device 52, but this is possible using a known technique, and the description thereof is omitted.

Embodiment 1
[Agent server]
Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the agent server 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the agent server 1 includes a first agent unit 10, a second agent unit 11, a third agent unit 12, a storage unit 21, and a communication unit 22. In FIG. 1, the number of agent units is three (first agent unit 10, second agent unit 11, third agent unit 12), but the number of agent units is not limited to three. The agent unit corresponds to each home appliance 52 and varies depending on the number of home appliances 52. Further, since the configurations of the agent units are the same, the description will be given using the first agent unit 10 here.

  The storage unit 21 stores various types of information, and includes weather information 31, device information 32, and an utterance table 33. The weather information 31 stores weather information acquired by a weather information acquisition unit 41 described later. The device information 32 stores device information acquired by a device information acquisition unit 42 described later. The utterance table 33 will be described later.

  The first agent unit 10 includes a weather information acquisition unit (provided information acquisition unit) 41, a device information acquisition unit (external device information acquisition unit) 42, and a message creation unit (message creation unit) 43, and corresponding home devices The message to be uttered at 52 is created and transmitted, and the message is displayed on the portable information terminal 70 as the corresponding home device 52.

  The weather information acquisition unit 41 requests weather information from the weather information server 4 via the communication unit 22 and acquires the weather information from the weather information server 4. An example of requesting and acquiring weather information includes sending a zip code and acquiring weather information of the corresponding area. The weather information acquisition unit 41 transmits the acquired weather information to the message creation unit 43 and stores it in the weather information 31 of the storage unit 21. The request for weather information may be made periodically (for example, twice a day, 6 o'clock and 15:15), or may be made in response to the occurrence of some event.

  The device information acquisition unit 42 acquires device information from the home server 3 via the communication unit 22. The home server 3 transmits to the agent server 1 when the device information acquired from the cleaning robot 51 or the home device 52 is updated. Therefore, the device information acquisition unit 42 acquires when the device information is updated. The device information acquisition unit 42 transmits the acquired device information to the message creation unit 43 and stores it in the device information 32 of the storage unit 21. An example of the device information 32 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3B, in the device information 32, a device ID for identifying the cleaning robot 51 or the home device 52, a model, a device state, acquired information (acquired environment information), and time are associated with each other. Stored.

  The message creation unit 43 uses the weather information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 41 and the device information acquired by the device information acquisition unit 42 and refers to the utterance table 33 stored in the storage unit 21 to generate a message (message S Message K).

  Here, the utterance table 33 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A shows an example of the utterance table 33. As shown in FIG. 3A, the utterance table 33 is a table in which condition 1 (weather information), condition 2 (device information), model, posting destination, utterable time, and posting / utterance content are associated with each other. It is. For example, when the condition 1 is “pollen (high)”, the condition 2 is “pollen (high)”, and the model is “AAA (PCI: air purifier)”, the transmission destination is the home appliance (air purifier), and the utterable time To “6h” and create a message “Today there seems to be a lot of pollen. Try it in powerful mode?”.

  When the weather information is acquired from the weather information acquisition unit 41, the message creation unit 43 creates a message by referring to the utterance table 33 using the weather information and the latest device information stored in the device information 32. When the device information is acquired from the device information acquisition unit 42, a message is created by referring to the utterance table 33 using the device information and the latest weather information stored in the weather information 31. In addition, when the message creation unit 43 creates a message (current time), when the time at which any of the weather information and the device information is created is created before a predetermined time, Does not create a message. In addition, if the predetermined time is information created before the time, the information is a time that can be considered that there is a high possibility that the information does not indicate the current state. For example, if the current time is 12:00 and the predetermined time is 1 hour, it is determined that the information created at 10:50 is before the predetermined time and does not indicate the current state and is not used. However, the information created at 11:10 is within a predetermined time and is used by determining the current state.

  For example, when the weather information is “pollen (low)” and the device information is “pollen (high)” and both are created after a predetermined time, the message creation unit 43 sets the message K to “ Create a message saying “Let there be less pollen? Try opening the window to ventilate?” And message S “She seems to have less pollen outside today. Try using the air-conditioning blow mode?” Create The message K is a message to be transmitted to the home server 3, and the message S is a message to be transmitted to the family message board server 2.

  In addition, when the 1st agent part 10 respond | corresponds with the air cleaner 52a, a message is produced using the thing matched with the air cleaner 52a among the speech tables 33. FIG.

  Further, the message may not be created but the created message may not be transmitted.

  The communication unit 22 communicates with the weather information server 4, the family message board server 2, and the home server 3.

[Home equipment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the configuration of the main part of the home appliance 52 will be described by taking the air purifier 52a as an example. As shown in FIG. 4, the air cleaner 52 a includes a message control unit 150, a notification unit 153, a reception unit 154, and a speaker 155.

  The message control unit 150 controls the acquired message K, and includes a message reception unit (message reception unit) 151 and a message presentation unit (message presentation unit) 152.

  When the message reception unit 151 acquires the message K from the agent server 1 via the home server 3, the message reception unit 151 notifies the notification unit 153 that the message K has been acquired, and notifies the message presentation unit 152 of the acquired message K.

  When the message presenting unit 152 accepts that the receiving unit 154 to be described later presents a message, the message presenting unit 152 causes the speaker 155 to utter the message K notified from the message receiving unit 151.

  When the notification unit 153 receives notification from the message reception unit 151 that the message K has been acquired, the notification unit 153 performs notification that the message K is present. The notification is performed, for example, by turning on or blinking an LED or the like.

  The accepting unit 154 accepts an instruction to utter the message K from the user. The speaker 155 outputs the message K as sound.

  In the above-described embodiment, the reception unit 154 receives an instruction from the user and outputs a message. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the reception unit 154 includes a sensor that detects a person and displays a message when the person is detected. The structure which outputs may be sufficient.

  Further, the function of communicating with the agent server 1 via the home server 3 in the home device 52 may be executed using an adapter attached to the home device 52. In this case, device information and the like of the home device 52 are transmitted to the agent server 1 by the adapter, and the instruction and the like transmitted from the agent server 1 are executed by the adapter.

  In addition, in the air cleaner 52a, since the function which acquires surrounding environmental information and the function which cleans air are possible using a well-known technique, the description is abbreviate | omitted.

[Process flow]
Next, a processing flow in the message transmission system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a processing flow in the message transmission system 100.

  As shown in FIG. 5, first, the cleaning robot 51 or the home device 52 transmits device information to the home server 3 (S101). The home server 3 transmits the received device information to the agent server 1 (S102, external device information acquisition step). Further, the agent server 1 transmits a weather information request to the weather information server 4 (S103), and acquires the weather information from the weather information server 4 (S104, provision information acquisition step). Note that the order of steps S101 and S102 and steps S103 and S104 may be reversed.

  The agent server 1 that has acquired the device information and the weather information determines whether any of the device information and the weather information is created before a predetermined time (S105), and before the predetermined time If it has not been created (NO in S105), a message (at least one of message S and message K) is created (S106, message creation step).

  When the message K is created, the message K is transmitted to the home server 3 (S107, message creation step). The home server 3 transmits the received message K to the corresponding home device 52 or the cleaning robot 51 (S108, message creation step).

  When the message S is created, the message S is transmitted to the family message board server 2 (S109).

  The household device 52 or the cleaning robot 51 that has received the message K performs a process of speaking the message K (S110). Moreover, the family message board server 2 which received the message S writes the message S on the family message board (S111).

  FIG. 6 shows an example in which the message S is written on the family message board. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the air purifier 52a (Kusei-chan) writes “Today there seems to be little pollen outside. Try using the air-conditioning blow mode?”. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the air purifier 52a speaks. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the air purifier 52a says, “Today there seems to be little pollen outside. Try opening a window to ventilate?”.

  As described above, in this embodiment, a message is created using both weather information and device information. As a result, a more appropriate message can be created as compared to the case where a message is created using either weather information or device information. In addition, if either the weather information or the device information is created before a predetermined time, no message is created. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a message from being created using information that may not match the current state. In this embodiment, when either the weather information or the device information is created before a predetermined time, the message is not created. However, the message is created before the predetermined time. It may be information or a configuration for creating a message.

[Embodiment 2]
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a message is created regardless of whether at least one of weather information and device information was created before a predetermined time, and a cleaning robot is created after the message is created and before transmission. 51 or the home device 52 is confirmed, and when connected (when communication is possible), a message is transmitted. If the connection with the cleaning robot 51 or the home device 52 is confirmed, the device information acquired by the agent server 1 indicates the current state. Therefore, information that does not match the current state is used. Never create a message. This is because, since the device information is transmitted when updated, the latest device information is acquired if the connection with the cleaning robot 51 or the home device 52 is confirmed.

  In the present embodiment, a first agent unit 10A is provided instead of the first agent unit 10 of the first embodiment. The first agent unit 10A includes a weather information acquisition unit 41, a device information acquisition unit 42, a message creation unit 43A, and a transmission determination unit (connection state confirmation unit) 44.

  The message creation unit 43A creates a message by referring to the utterance table 33 using the weather information acquired from the weather information acquisition unit 41 and the device information acquired from the device information acquisition unit 42, and a transmission determination unit 44 is notified. Upon receiving a notification that the connection is established from the transmission determination unit 44, the created message is transmitted to the family message board server 2 and the home server 3 via the communication unit 22.

  When notified from the message creation unit 43A that the message has been created, the transmission determination unit 44 confirms the connection state of the corresponding home device 52 with the home server 3A. When it is confirmed from the home server 3A that the in-home device 52 has been connected, it is determined that communication is possible, and a message to that effect is sent to the message creation unit 43A.

  In the present embodiment, a home server 3 </ b> A is provided instead of the home server 3. The home server 3A includes a connection state determination unit 81. When receiving the confirmation of the connection state of the home device 52 from the transmission determination unit 44, the connection state determination unit 81 confirms the connection state of the home device 52 and transmits the result to the transmission determination unit 44.

[Process flow]
Next, the flow of processing in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that steps S201 to S204 are the same as steps S101 to S104 of the first embodiment. Steps S209 to S213 are the same as steps S107 to S111 of the first embodiment.

  When acquiring the device information and the weather information, the agent server 1 creates a message with reference to the utterance table 33 (S205). Next, the agent server 1 confirms the connection state of the corresponding home device 52 or the cleaning robot 51 to the home server 3A (S206). The agent server 1 receives the confirmation result of the connection state from the home server 3A (S207), confirms that it is connected (S208), and transmits the created message (S209 and later).

[Embodiment 3]
The following will describe still another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the difference from the first and second embodiments is that the agent server 1 periodically acquires device information from the home server 3B, and does not create a message if it cannot be periodically acquired. . By regularly acquiring device information, a message can always be created using the latest device information. In addition, when device information cannot be acquired regularly, by not creating a message, it is possible to prevent a message from being created using information that may not match the current state. .

  In the present embodiment, a first agent unit 10B is provided instead of the first agent units 10 and 10A. The first agent unit 10B includes a weather information acquisition unit 41, a device information acquisition unit 42B, and a message creation unit 43B.

  The device information acquisition unit 42B periodically acquires device information from the home server 3B. The message creation unit 43B creates a message by referring to the utterance table 33 using the weather information acquired from the weather information acquisition unit 41 and the device information acquired from the device information acquisition unit 42B. However, if the device information acquired from the device information acquisition unit 42B is not periodically acquired, that is, if the latest device information is created before the periodic period, no message is generated. .

  In this embodiment, a home server 3B is provided instead of the home servers 3 and 3A. The home server 3B includes a device information notification unit 82. The device information notification unit 82 periodically transmits device information of the home device 52 and the cleaning robot 51 to the agent server 1.

[Process flow]
Next, the flow of processing in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Steps S303 and S304 are the same as steps S103 and S104 in the first embodiment. Steps S307 to S311 are the same as steps S107 to S111 of the first embodiment.

  The household device 52 or the cleaning robot 51 periodically transmits device information to the home server 3B (S301). The home server 3B periodically transmits device information to the agent server 1 (S302). When the agent server 1 acquires the device information and the weather information, the agent server 1 determines whether or not the acquired device information is acquired within a regular period (S305), and is acquired within the regular period. If so (YES in S305), a message is created (S306).

[Embodiment 4]
The utterance table 33 described in the above embodiment is used when the weather information or the device information is updated, and the update timing of the weather information and the device information is not defined.

  In contrast, the utterance table 33A according to the present embodiment is used when weather information is regularly updated. FIG. 13 shows an example of the speech table 33A. The utterance table 33A is an example of an utterance table used when the weather information is updated at 6:00. As shown in the utterance table 33A, since the weather information is updated at 6 o'clock, the message creation time (determination time (post time)) is “6:00”, and the available utterance time is 6 o'clock. It is written in the form of until what time. For example, in the example of the first row of the utterance table 33A, the utterable time is “6: 0 to 12:00”. Moreover, when posting to SNS, it posts at 6:00 (at the time of message creation).

  As a result, even if the weather conditions are the same (for example, “Tomorrow's weather forecast is rainy”), if the message creation time is in the morning, the message “You should do your laundry today” will be created. Then, it is possible to create a message “Is the laundry dryer coming tomorrow?” In addition, it is possible to create a message that the user wants to utter during a specific time period, or to create a message so as not to speak during the night. Therefore, it is possible to create a message in accordance with the situation.

  The update of the weather information is not limited to 6 o'clock, and may be, for example, twice a day at 6 o'clock and 15:15.

[Embodiment 5]
In this embodiment, even if the condition 1 (weather information) and the condition 2 (device information) are exactly the same, the message content depends on whether the message is sent to the family message board server 2 or the home device 52 Are different. This can be executed by changing the content of the message in the utterance table 33 depending on the transmission destination of the message. Thereby, an appropriate message according to each device can be presented.

  Further, in the present embodiment, even if the condition 1 (weather information) and the condition 2 (device information) are exactly the same, if the home device 52 is different, the message may be different. This can also be executed by changing the content of the message in the utterance table 33 depending on the home device 52 to which the message is transmitted. Thereby, an appropriate message according to each device can be presented.

  Further, in the home device 52, a message that prompts the user to use another home device 52 may be presented. For example, you may make a message which urges the air cleaner to use an air conditioner.

[Embodiment 6]
In each of the above embodiments, the example using the agent server 1 has been described. However, each function of the agent server 1 may be realized by an individual server.

  The agent server 1, the family message board server 2 and the weather information server 4 may be configured to use one server, or may be configured to use more servers. And when applying a some server, each server may be managed by the same provider, and may be managed by a different provider.

[Embodiment 7] (Example of implementation by software)
Each block of the agent server 1, the family message board server 2, the home server 3, the weather information server 4, and the home device 52 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like. Alternatively, it may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit). In the latter case, the agent server 1, the family message board server 2, the home server 3, the weather information server 4, and the home appliance 52 can be configured using a computer (electronic computer) as shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the computer 1000 that can be used as the agent server 1 and the home device 52.

  As illustrated in FIG. 12, the computer 1000 includes an arithmetic device 1200, a main storage device 1300, an auxiliary storage device 1400, and an input / output interface 1500 that are connected to each other via a bus 1100. The computing device 1200, the main storage device 1300, and the auxiliary storage device 1400 may be, for example, a CPU, a random access memory (RAM), and a hard disk drive, respectively. Note that the main storage device 1300 may be a computer-readable “non-temporary tangible medium”. For example, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used.

  An input device 2000 and an output device 3000 are connected to the input / output interface 1500. The agent server 1 and the input device 2000 and the output device 3000 of the home appliance 52 receive data transmitted from other servers or devices, and transmit data to other servers or devices. The agent server 1 and the input device 2000 and the output device 3000 of the home appliance 52 further acquire input operations such as voice and characters from the user, speak to the user, and the like.

  The auxiliary storage device 1400 stores various programs for operating the computer 1000 as the agent server 1 and the home device 52. Then, the arithmetic device 1200 expands each program stored in the auxiliary storage device 1400 on the main storage device 1300, and executes instructions included in each program expanded on the main storage device 1300. The computer 1000 is caused to function as each unit included in the agent server 1 and the home device 52.

  Here, a configuration has been described in which the computer 1000 is caused to function using each of the programs recorded in the auxiliary storage device 1400, which is an internal recording medium. However, a program recorded in an external recording medium may be used. . The program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
A message transmission server according to an aspect 1 of the present invention is a message transmission server that transmits a message related to one or more external devices, the provision information acquisition unit that acquires provision information from an external information provision device, and the above one The external device information acquisition means for acquiring external device information related to any of the external devices described above, a message is created using the provided information and the external device information, and the created message is transmitted to the external device information. Message creating means for performing at least one of transmission to the external device and posting to the information processing apparatus that provides a service capable of sharing the posted writing among a plurality of users. It is equipped with.

  According to said structure, the message to transmit is produced using two information, provision information and external apparatus information. Therefore, a more appropriate message can be created as compared with the case where the message is created using only the provided information or only the external device information.

  Examples of provided information include weather information related to weather / climate / environment, electrical information related to electricity usage, recipe information related to cooking, and the like.

  In the message transmission server according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in the aspect 1, the message creation unit generates at least one of the two pieces of information of the provided information and the external device information within a predetermined time from the current time. If not, the message may not be sent and posted.

  Information created before a predetermined time from the current time, that is, old information is likely not to be applicable at the time of message creation. And according to said structure, when at least any one of provision information and external apparatus information was produced | generated before the predetermined time from the present time, a message is not transmitted and contributed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate message from being transmitted and posted due to old information.

  For example, when communication with an external device is interrupted for some reason, there is a high possibility that the external device information acquired before the disconnection does not indicate the current state of the external device. Nevertheless, if a message is transmitted and posted using the external device information, a message that does not match the current situation may be transmitted and posted. According to said structure, a message is not transmitted and posted in such a case, and it can prevent sending and posting a message which does not match the present condition.

  The message transmission server according to aspect 3 of the present invention is the message transmission server according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein the message creation unit includes at least one of the two pieces of information of the provided information and the external device information within a predetermined time from the current time. If the message is not generated, the message may not be created.

  According to the above configuration, if at least one of the provided information and the external device information is generated before a predetermined time from the current time, no message is created. Thereby, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate message from being created due to old information.

  A message transmission server according to aspect 4 of the present invention includes connection state confirmation means for confirming a connection state of communication with an external device specified by the external device information in any one of aspects 1 to 3, and the connection When the state confirmation unit determines that the connection state of communication with the external device is not communicable, the message may not be transmitted to the external device.

  When the connection state with the external device is not communicable, the acquired external device information may not match the current state of the external device. According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent a message created using information that does not match the current state of the external device from being transmitted.

  In the message transmission server according to aspect 5 of the present invention, in the aspect 2 or 3, the external device information acquisition unit periodically acquires the external device information, and the predetermined time is longer than the periodic period. It may be.

  If the latest external device information is not acquired within a regular period from the current time, the external device information that should have been acquired cannot be acquired. Therefore, there is a possibility that the latest external device information acquired is not information regarding the current external device. And according to said structure, when the newest external apparatus information is not what was acquired within the period of a period from the present time, since a message is not created, it is prevented that an inappropriate message is created. be able to.

  The message transmission server according to aspect 6 of the present invention is the message transmission server according to any one of the aspects 1 to 5, wherein the message creation unit uses the same provided information and the same external device information to connect the external device and the information processing apparatus. Different messages may be created.

  According to the above configuration, different messages are created between the external device and the information processing apparatus. This makes it possible to create a message that matches the characteristics of the external device and the information processing apparatus. For example, for home appliances that are external devices, a message that suggests a process that can be executed by a user in the vicinity of the home appliance is created, and for an information processing device, a message that proposes a function that can be executed by the provided service is created. be able to.

  The message transmission server according to aspect 7 of the present invention is the message transmission server according to any one of the aspects 1 to 6, wherein the message creation unit creates a different message for each external device using the same provided information. Good. According to the above configuration, since a different message can be created for each external device, a message that matches the characteristics of each external device can be created.

  The message transmission server according to aspect 8 of the present invention is the message transmission server according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the message creation means creates a different message depending on the time of creating the message using the same provided information. Also good. According to said structure, since the message produced according to the time which produces a message can be varied, the message according to the time can be produced.

  The message transmission server according to aspect 9 of the present invention is the message transmission server according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein the external device information includes an operating state, an operation mode, and an external device specified by the external device information. It may include at least one of environmental information indicating the acquired state of the surrounding environment.

  An external device according to aspect 10 of the present invention provides message receiving means for receiving a message from the message transmission server described in any of aspects 1 to 9, and message presentation for presenting the message received by the message receiving means. Means.

  According to said structure, the message transmitted from the message transmission server can be shown.

  A message transmission system according to an aspect 11 of the present invention is a message transmission system including a message transmission server and at least one of an external device and an information processing device, and the message transmission server relates to one or more external devices. A message transmission server for transmitting a message, provided information acquisition means for acquiring provided information from an external information providing apparatus, and external device information acquisition means for acquiring external device information relating to any of the one or more external devices A message using the provided information and the external device information, sending the created message to the external device that transmitted the external device information, and posting posted by a plurality of users. Posting mainly the external device to the information processing apparatus that provides a sharable service, Message generating means for performing at least one of the above, and the external device includes message receiving means for receiving a message from the message transmission server, and message presenting means for presenting the message, and the information processing apparatus includes: The message posted from the message transmission server is written to the service. Thereby, the effect mentioned above can be produced.

  A message transmission server control method according to an aspect 12 of the present invention is a message transmission server control method for transmitting a message relating to one or more external devices, and provides provided information from an external information providing apparatus. Creating a message using the step, an external device information acquisition step for acquiring external device information relating to any one of the one or more external devices, the providing information and the external device information, At least one of transmitting the external device information to the external device and posting to the information processing apparatus that provides a service that can share the posted writing among a plurality of users. Creating a message. Thereby, the effect mentioned above can be produced.

  The message transmission server according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the message transmission server is realized by a computer by causing the computer to operate as each means included in the message transmission server. A control program for the message transmission server and a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded also fall within the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

  The present invention is suitable for a message transmission system in which a message is uttered by a home appliance or displayed on a smartphone or the like.

1 Agent server (message sending server)
2 Family message board server (information processing equipment)
3, 3A, 3B Home server 4 Weather information server (information providing device)
10, 10A, 10B First agent part 11 Second agent part 12 Third agent part 21 Storage part 22 Communication part 31 Weather information 32 Equipment information (external equipment information)
33, 33A Utterance table 41 Weather information acquisition unit (provided information acquisition means)
42, 42B Device information acquisition unit (external device information acquisition means)
43, 43A, 43B Message creation unit (message creation means)
44 Transmission determination unit (connection state confirmation means)
51 Cleaning robot (external equipment)
52 Domestic equipment (external equipment)
52a Air purifier (external equipment)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 70 Personal digital assistant 81 Connection state determination part 82 Device information notification part 100 Message transmission system 150 Message control part 151 Message reception part (message reception means)
152 Message Presenter (Message Presenter)
153 Notification unit 154 Reception unit 155 Speaker

Claims (14)

A message sending server for sending a message about one or more external devices,
Providing information acquisition means for acquiring provided information from an external information providing device;
External device information acquisition means for acquiring external device information relating to any of the one or more external devices;
Create a message using the provided information and the external device information, send the created message to the external device that sent the external device information, and share the posted writing among multiple users A message creation means for performing at least one of posting the external device as a subject to an information processing apparatus that provides a simple service ,
The message creation means creates a message for a user in the vicinity of the external device as a message corresponding to the external device, using the same provided information and the same external device information, and as a message corresponding to the information processing apparatus A message transmission server that creates a message to be displayed on a portable information terminal, and a message corresponding to the external device is different from a message corresponding to the information processing apparatus . The message creating means creates a message proposing a process executable by a user in the vicinity of the external device as a message corresponding to the external device, and the information processing device as a message corresponding to the information processing device Create messages that suggest functions that can be performed by services provided by
The message transmission server according to claim 1. The message creation means does not transmit and post a message when at least one of the two pieces of information of the provision information and the external device information is not generated within a predetermined time from the current time. The message transmission server according to claim 1 or 2 . The message creating means does not create a message when at least one of the two pieces of information of the provision information and the external device information is not generated within a predetermined time from the current time. The message transmission server of any one of 1-3 . A connection state confirmation means for confirming a connection state of communication with the external device that has transmitted the external device information;
The message creating means, according to claim 1-4 the connection state confirmation means, characterized in that no transmission if it is determined that there is not possible communication connection state of the communication with the external device, a message to the external device The message transmission server according to any one of the above. The external device information acquisition means periodically acquires the external device information,
5. The message transmission server according to claim 3 , wherein the predetermined time is longer than the regular period.   The message transmission server according to claim 1, wherein the message creation unit creates a different message for each of the external devices using the same provided information.   The message transmission server according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the message creation unit creates a different message depending on a time of creating a message using the same provided information.   The external device information includes at least one of an operating state and an operation mode of an external device that has transmitted the external device information, and environmental information indicating a surrounding environment state acquired by the external device. Item 9. The message transmission server according to any one of Items 1 to 8. Message receiving means for receiving a message from the message transmission server according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
An external device comprising a message presenting means for presenting the message. A message transmission system including a message transmission server and at least one of an external device and an information processing device,
The message transmission server is a message transmission server that transmits a message regarding one or more external devices,
Providing information acquisition means for acquiring provided information from an external information providing device;
External device information acquisition means for acquiring external device information relating to any of the one or more external devices;
Create a message using the provided information and the external device information, send the created message to the external device that sent the external device information, and share the posted writing among multiple users Message creating means for performing at least one of posting the external device as a subject to the information processing apparatus that provides a service,
The message creation means creates a message for a user in the vicinity of the external device as a message corresponding to the external device, using the same provided information and the same external device information, and as a message corresponding to the information processing apparatus , Create a message to be displayed on the portable information terminal, and the message corresponding to the external device is different from the message corresponding to the information processing device,
The external device is
Message receiving means for receiving a message from the message transmission server;
Message presenting means for presenting the message,
The information processing apparatus writes the message posted from the message transmission server into the service. A method for controlling a message transmission server for transmitting a message regarding one or more external devices, comprising:
A provision information acquisition step of acquiring provision information from an external information provision device;
An external device information acquisition step of acquiring external device information relating to any of the one or more external devices;
Create a message using the provided information and the external device information, send the created message to the external device that sent the external device information, and share the posted writing among multiple users posting mainly the external device to the information processing apparatus that provides a service, viewed contains a message creating step of performing at least one, the,
The message creation step creates a message for a user in the vicinity of the external device as a message corresponding to the external device, using the same provided information and the same external device information, and as a message corresponding to the information processing apparatus A message transmission server control method, wherein a message to be displayed on a portable information terminal is created, and a message corresponding to the external device is different from a message corresponding to the information processing apparatus .   A control program for causing a computer to function as the message transmission server according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control program causes the computer to function as each of the means.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the control program according to claim 13 is recorded.

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