JP6670079B2 - Server, communication providing method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for promoting communication between users.

  In recent years, communication tools between a plurality of users that can be used by being installed in a portable information processing apparatus have been provided (for example, see Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2). In these communication tools, a group formed by a plurality of users is constructed, and conversations and photos can be easily shared among a plurality of users belonging to the same group.

JP 2013-089086 A JP-A-2002-236779

  With the technology for providing communication in groups as described above, it was possible to promote exchange between users belonging to the same group, but it was difficult to promote exchange between users belonging to different groups. In addition, a function has been provided for introducing a certain user to another user who is presumed to be suitable for communication. However, many users feel anxious about interacting with another user. As a result, there has been a problem that few users are willing to actively interact with other introduced users.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can promote exchange between users belonging to other groups.

One aspect of the present invention, the first user, the first user and a second user belonging to the same group and the groups to which they belong, the group control unit for providing a communication service to the first user belongs a selection unit for selecting a predetermined condition is satisfied group between a and a different group group group to which the first user belongs, the information of the group selected by the selection portion, the first user and the Notifying the first user as information of a matching candidate that is a candidate of another group with which the second user communicates, and the operation of the notified first user and the operation of a user belonging to the matching candidate group depending on the bets, a member of the group the first user belongs and members of the matching candidate groups And a matching control unit which allows to communicate by communications services by the group control unit, wherein the matching controller, the group to which the first user belongs, to the group of the matching candidate, the same Providing a communication service that is more limited than the communication service provided to the users belonging to the group, and then responding to the instruction of the merger by one or both groups, the group to which the first user belongs the relative and groups of the matching candidate, is a server that controls so as to provide a communication service that is not limited than the limited communication services.

One aspect of the present invention, the first user, the first user and a second user belonging to the same group and the groups to which they belong, and the group control step of providing a communications service to the first user belongs a selection step of selecting a predetermined condition is satisfied group between group to which the first user a with a different group group belongs, the information of the group selected in the selecting step, the first user and the Notifying the first user as information of a matching candidate that is a candidate of another group with which the second user communicates, and the operation of the notified first user and the operation of a user belonging to the matching candidate group depending on the bets, the matching candidate grayed members of group to which the first user belongs Comprising a matching control step in which a member of the-loop makes it possible to communicate by communications services by the group control step, the, in the matching control step, a group to which the first user belongs, the matching candidate To the group, providing a more limited communication service than the communication service provided to the users belonging to the same group, and thereafter, in response to an instruction to join by one or both groups, against a group in which one user belongs and the group of the matching candidates is controlled so as to provide a communication service that is not limited than the limited communications services, communications It is providing method.

One aspect of the present invention, the first user, the first user and a second user belonging to the same group and the groups to which they belong, and the group control step of providing a communications service to the first user belongs a selection step of selecting a predetermined condition is satisfied group between group to which the first user a with a different group group belongs, the information of the group selected in the selecting step, the first user and the Notifying the first user as information of a matching candidate that is a candidate of another group with which the second user communicates, and the operation of the notified first user and the operation of a user belonging to the matching candidate group depending on the bets, the matching candidate grayed members of group to which the first user belongs A matching control step in which a member of the-loop makes it possible to communicate by communications services by the group control step, cause the computer to execute, in the matching control step, a group to which the first user belongs, wherein Provide a more limited communication service than the communication service provided to the users belonging to the same group to the matching candidate group, and then, in response to the instruction to join by one or both groups, Controlling the group to which the first user belongs and the group of matching candidates to provide a communication service that is more limited than the limited communication service. It is a computer program for.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the frequency of occurrence of communication among users forming a group.

1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a system configuration of a communication system 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a first user terminal 10. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server 40. It is a figure showing the example of a group table. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a user table. 5 is a sequence chart illustrating an example of a processing flow of the communication system 1. 5 is a sequence chart illustrating an example of a processing flow of the communication system 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a matching home screen displayed on a display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of a group account setting screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a group account editing screen displayed on a display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a matching candidate list screen displayed on a display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a detailed search screen displayed on a display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a matching candidate detail screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a request reception screen displayed on a display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a request reception detail screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a request transmission screen displayed on a display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of a request transmission detail screen displayed on a display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of an approval group list screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a limited communication screen displayed on a display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of an approval group detail screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a system configuration of the communication system 1. The communication system 1 includes a plurality of user terminals and a server 40. In the example of FIG. 1, three user terminals are illustrated as specific examples of the plurality of user terminals. Specifically, as a specific example of the plurality of user terminals, there are a first user terminal 10, a second user terminal 20, and a third user terminal 30. The plurality of user terminals function as user terminals in the communication system 1 by, for example, installing an application provided in advance. The server 40 provides a communication service to each user of a plurality of user terminals. The plurality of user terminals and the server 40 are communicably connected via a network 50. Note that the number of networks to which each user terminal is connected does not necessarily need to be one. For example, the network to which the first user terminal 10 is connected, the network to which the second user terminal 20 is connected, and the network to which the third user terminal 30 is connected may be different.

  In the communication system 1, a communication service using a user terminal (for example, the first user terminal 10, the second user terminal 20) is provided to a plurality of users belonging to the same group. The communication service is, for example, providing a conversation function such as chat or messenger, and a sharing function of a still image file or a moving image file. Further, the communication system 1 also provides a service for performing limited communication between different groups (hereinafter, referred to as “limited communication service”). The limited communication service is, for example, providing a conversation function that enables a conversation between managers of each group and a sharing function of part or all of image files (still image files or moving image files). is there. In the communication system 1, when agreement is obtained between different groups after receiving the provision of the limited communication service, a new group (hereinafter, referred to as a "synthetic group") including all members of each group for which the agreement has been obtained. Is formed.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the first user terminal 10. The first user terminal 10 includes a communication unit 101, an input unit 102, a display unit 103, and a control unit 104. All or a part of each function of the control unit 104 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

  The communication unit 101 is a network interface. The communication unit 101 communicates with the server 40 via the network 50. The communication unit 101 passes the data received from the server 40 to the control unit 104. Upon receiving the data addressed to the server 40 from the control unit 104, the communication unit 101 transmits the data to the server 40 via the network 50.

  The input unit 102 is configured using an existing input device such as a keyboard, a pointing device (a mouse, a tablet, or the like), a button, a touch panel, or the like. The input unit 102 is operated by the user when inputting a user's instruction to the first user terminal 10. The input unit 102 may be an interface for connecting the input device to the first user terminal 10. In this case, the input unit 102 inputs to the first user terminal 10 an input signal generated according to a user's input in the input device.

  The display unit 103 is an image display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, a liquid crystal display, and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display unit 103 displays characters and images generated by the control unit 104. The display unit 103 may be an interface for connecting the image display device to the first user terminal 10. In this case, the display unit 103 generates a video signal for displaying characters and images generated by the control unit 104, and outputs the video signal to an image display device connected to the display unit 103.

  The control unit 104 is configured using a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory connected via a bus. The control unit 104 executes an application program installed in the first user terminal 10 in advance. The control unit 104 operates based on a user operation on the input unit 102, data received by the communication unit 101, and an installed application program. The control unit 104 outputs characters and images included in the screen defined in the program to the display unit 103.

  The basic configuration of the second user terminal 20 and the third user terminal 30 is the same as that of the first user terminal 10. Therefore, description of the second user terminal 20 and the third user terminal 30 is omitted. However, each user terminal does not need to be completely the same up to the hardware configuration and the like, and the hardware configuration and the OS (Operating System) may be different.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the server 40. The server 40 includes a communication unit 401, a control unit 402, and a table storage unit 403.

  The communication unit 401 is a network interface. The communication unit 401 communicates with each user terminal (the first user terminal 10, the second user terminal 20, and the third user terminal 30) via the network 50. The communication unit 401 passes the data received from the user terminal to the control unit 402. When receiving the data addressed to the user terminal from the control unit 402, the communication unit 401 transmits the data to the user terminal via the network 50.

  The control unit 402 is configured using a CPU and a memory connected via a bus. The control unit 402 executes an application program installed in the server 40 in advance. The control unit 402 operates based on data received by the communication unit 401 and an installed application program. The control unit 402 implements the functions of the group control unit 404, the matching control unit 405, and the candidate selection unit 406.

  The table storage unit 403 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The table storage unit 403 stores one or more tables required for the server 40 to function. The table storage unit 403 stores, for example, a group table and a user table.

  The group control unit 404 manages information on each group and each user. For example, the group control unit 404 updates information registered in the group table and the user table stored in the table storage unit 403 as necessary. For example, when a request for registration of a new group is received from the user terminal, the group control unit 404 registers the group record 71 relating to the newly registered group in the group table. At this time, the group control unit 404 gives the new group a group ID that does not overlap with another group, and records the group tag and the detailed information specified by the user terminal in the group record 71. The group control unit 404 provides a communication service to members in the group. For example, the group control unit 404 has a function of realizing a conversation between members in the group (chat function, messenger function), a function of sharing an image posted by a member in the group with other members of the group, a member of the group. A function of sending and receiving e-mails between each other may be provided. In addition, the group control unit 404 performs a limited communication service with another group indicated by the registered group ID for a group whose group ID is registered in the value of the approval group of the group record 71. May be provided.

  The matching control unit 405 executes control related to group matching. Group matching is a series of operations for communicating between members belonging to different groups. For example, the matching control unit 405 proposes to communicate with another group by providing information on the other group to the target group. For example, the matching control unit 405 communicates with a group (request source) that requests communication with another group with another group (request destination) that is a request target. Perform the necessary procedures for planning. This procedure may be, for example, a procedure for receiving approval from the request destination group for communication. In addition, during the period from the request until the approval is received, the matching control unit 405 may perform control so that the limited communication service is provided to the group of the request source and the group of the request destination. . Such control may be performed, for example, by registering each other's group ID in the value of the approval group in the group record 71 of the request source group and the request destination group.

  The candidate selection unit 406 selects another group presented as a matching candidate for the group. The candidate selection unit 406 estimates a group for which a matching candidate is presented by estimating another group that many of the users constituting the group will be interested in communicating as a group. Select a group of matching candidates. For example, the candidate selection unit 406 determines that the relationship between the information registered in the group record 71 of the group to which the matching candidate is presented and the information registered in the group record 71 of each group is a predetermined condition. May be selected. Hereinafter, a specific example of the predetermined condition will be described.

For example, the predetermined condition may be that part or all of the content of the group tag is the same or similar.
For example, the predetermined condition may be that part or all of the content of the group tag is opposite.
For example, the predetermined condition may be that the member configurations are similar. The member composition includes the number of members belonging to the group, the ratio of men and women, the ratio by generation, the average age, and the like.
For example, the predetermined condition may be that the member composition is opposite.
For example, when the predetermined condition is that the group tag includes an action performed in the same place, the locations registered as a group (which may be the location of the group manager) are separated by a predetermined distance. It may be within. The actions performed in the same place are, for example, sports, study sessions, games, karaoke, dining parties, drinking parties, searching for partners, matchmaking, and the like.

  For example, if the predetermined condition includes an act that is intended to be performed between opposite sexes (eg, drinking party, matchmaking), even if the gender ratio is opposite in the member composition Good. In this case, the fact that the generations are similar among the member configurations may be included in the predetermined condition. In addition, when conditions desired by each other (for example, occupation, age, hobby, hometown, and the like) are registered in a group tag or the like, it is determined that the conditions are satisfied with each other. Good.

  For example, when the past activity performed as a group is registered in the group record 71, the predetermined condition may be that the past activities are similar to each other. For example, when an event that has participated in the past is registered in the group record 71, participating in the same event or a similar event may be included in the predetermined condition. The similarity of an event may be determined based on, for example, a word or a sentence registered on the homepage of the event, a word included in the event name, or the like.

For example, the predetermined condition is that if the group tag includes an activity with a limited number of members that can be performed at the same time, the same activity is included in the group tag and the difference in the number of members is equal to the predetermined value. May be within the threshold value. The activity in which the number of members that can be performed at the same time is limited is, for example, a game (basketball, futsal, board game, video game, and the like) performed by a team.
Note that the above description about gender is not necessarily limited to biological sex.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the group table. The group table has a plurality of group records 71. The group record 71 has information on a group. For example, the group record 71 has values of a group ID, a group tag, detailed information, an approval group, a merging group, and a composite group. The group ID is identification information for uniquely identifying a group. The group tag is a keyword representing the attribute of the group. For example, if the group is a group of members gathered for playing sports, “sports” may be registered as a group tag. A group tag may have multiple keywords. The detailed information has information on the group. For example, the detailed information includes identification information (user ID) of a user belonging to the group, a user ID of a manager (leader) of the group, a date and time when the group was formed (date and time when the group was formed and registered), and It has an introductory sentence, location information registered as the location (activity base) of the group, and the like. The approval group has the group ID of the approval group. The approval groups are two groups in which one group makes a matching request to the other group and the matching request is approved by the other group. Limited communication can be achieved between the approval groups. The merging group has a group ID of the merging group. The merge groups are two groups in which one of the approval groups makes a merge request to the other group and the merge request is approved by the other group. A new combined group is formed between the merging groups, and it becomes possible for users included in each merging group to interact with each other. The value of the composite group has a value indicating whether or not the group is a composite group.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the user table. The user table has a plurality of user records 72. The user record 72 has information about the user. For example, the user record 72 has a user ID, a user attribute, and a value of detailed information. The user ID is identification information for uniquely identifying a user. The user ID is defined as a unique value across all groups. The user attribute is a keyword representing the attribute of the user. For example, information such as a user's age (generation), a user's gender, a user's occupation, a user's hobby, and a user's nationality are registered as user attributes. The detailed information has information on the user. For example, the detailed information includes information such as a notification destination address for the user, a mail address registered by the user, and an address of the user. The notification destination address is a destination used when notifying a user via an application or an OS to each user terminal on which an application is installed.

  FIG. 6 is a sequence chart illustrating an example of a processing flow of the communication system 1. FIG. 6 shows the flow of processing until the groups become approved groups. In the following description, the user of the first user terminal 10 and the user of the second user terminal 20 belong to the same group, and the user of the first user terminal 10 is an administrator. Further, the user of the third user terminal 30 is a manager of a group that is a target of a matching request according to the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs.

  First, the user of the first user terminal 10 performs a matching candidate request operation by operating the input unit 102 of the first user terminal 10 (step S101). In the matching candidate request operation, for example, a button indicating that a matching candidate is to be displayed is selected from the buttons displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10 via the input unit 102 (operation such as clicking and tapping). Operation. When receiving the input of the matching candidate request operation, the control unit 104 of the first user terminal 10 generates a matching candidate request. The matching candidate request includes the group ID of the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs and the user ID indicating the user of the first user terminal 10. The matching candidate request may include matching attribute information indicating an attribute required for the matching candidate. The control unit 104 of the first user terminal 10 transmits the generated matching candidate request to the server 40 (Step S102). Note that the user can belong to a plurality of groups. Therefore, in the present description, the “group to which the user belongs” refers to a group to which the user has an influence that is led by the action among the groups to which the user belongs. For example, if a user belongs to group A and group B, and the user desires to match group A with another group, the “group to which the user belongs” includes only group A. Point.

  When the matching candidate request is received, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 instructs the candidate selecting unit 406 to select a matching candidate. If the matching candidate request includes matching attribute information, the matching control unit 405 instructs the candidate selection unit 406 to select a matching candidate based on the matching attribute information. For example, when the value of the matching attribute information is “activity base”, the instruction unit 406 instructs the candidate selection unit 406 to select a group whose activity base is near the position as a matching candidate.

  The candidate selection unit 406 selects a group as a matching candidate according to an instruction from the matching control unit 405. For example, when the value of the matching attribute information is “activity base”, the candidate selection unit 406 selects another group having an activity base close to the activity base of the group of the group ID included in the matching candidate request. Select as a matching candidate. At this time, the candidate selection unit 406 may select a matching candidate based solely on the activity base, or may select a matching candidate based on other conditions in addition to the activity base. For example, the candidate selection unit 406 may select a group whose activity base is close and whose information registered in the group record 71 satisfies a predetermined condition. The candidate selection unit 406 passes information indicating the selected matching candidate to the matching control unit 405. The matching control unit 405 generates matching information indicating information on the matching candidate selected by the candidate selecting unit 406 (Step S104). The matching control unit 405 transmits the generated matching information to the first user terminal 10 that is the source of the matching candidate request (Step S105).

  The control unit 104 of the first user terminal 10 causes the display unit 103 to display information on each matching candidate group included in the matching information based on the received matching information (Step S106). It is not necessary to display all the matching candidates included in the matching information at once, and the display may be performed such that each matching candidate appears sequentially in response to a scroll operation. The user of the first user terminal 10 performs a matching request operation on one or more matching candidates among the displayed matching candidates (Step S107). In the matching request operation, the user operates the input unit 102 to select a group desired to communicate from the group of matching candidates. The control unit 104 generates a matching request based on the selected group. The matching request includes the group ID of the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 makes a matching request, the group ID of the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs, and the And a user ID indicating the user. The control unit 104 of the first user terminal 10 transmits the generated matching request to the server 40 (Step S108).

  When the matching request is received, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 changes the relationship between the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs and the group to which the matching request is made into an unapproved state. Update (step S109). For example, the value of the approval group in the group record 71 of the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs includes the group ID of the group for which the matching request is made and the status of “unapproved”. The processing of step S109 may be performed by registering the indicated value. Similarly, the group ID of the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs and the “unapproved state” are added to the value of the approval group in the group record 71 of the group to which the matching request is made. May be registered.

  Next, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 generates information (matching request notification) for notifying that there is a matching request to a member of the group to which the matching request is applied. The matching request notification includes information on the group that has requested the matching request (the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs). The matching control unit 405 transmits the generated matching request notification to the members of the group that is the target of the matching request (step S110). The destination of the matching request notification may be all the members of the group or only the manager of the group.

  When receiving the notification of the matching request, the control unit 104 of the third user terminal 30 displays on the display unit 103 that the matching request has been made and information on the group of the request source of the matching request. The user of the third user terminal 30 performs a matching approval operation according to such a display (step S111). The matching approval operation is an operation for selecting that the group of the request source of the matching request and the group to which it belongs belong to the approval group. The matching approval operation is performed on the input unit 102 by the user. When the matching approval operation is performed, the control unit 104 generates matching approval information. The matching approval information includes information indicating that the matching request has been approved, the group ID of the group requesting the matching request, and the group (the user of the third user terminal 30 to which the user of the third user terminal 30 belongs). Group) and a user ID indicating the user of the third user terminal 30. The control unit 104 transmits the generated matching approval information to the server 40 (Step S112).

  Upon receiving the matching approval information, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 executes a matching approval process (Step S113). The details are as follows. The matching control unit 405 determines the relationship between the group of the request source of the matching request (the group of the user of the first user terminal 10) and the group that has performed the approval operation on the matching request (the group of the user of the third user terminal 30). Is updated to the status of the approval group. For example, the value of the approval group of the group record 71 of the group to which the requesting user of the matching request belongs includes the group ID of the group that has approved the matching request and the value indicating “approved”. By registering, the process of step S113 may be performed. Similarly, the value of the approval group in the group record 71 of the group that has approved the matching request includes the group ID of the group to which the user requesting the matching request belongs, a value indicating “approved”, May be registered. When the matching approval process is executed, the two groups targeted for the process (in the present embodiment, the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs and the group to which the user of the third user terminal 30 belongs) Provides limited communication services.

  Next, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 generates information (matching approval notification) for notifying that the matching request has been approved to a member of the group that has requested the matching request. The matching approval notification includes information on the group to which the matching request is requested (the group to which the user of the third user terminal 30 belongs). The matching control unit 405 transmits the generated matching approval notification to the group member that has issued the matching request (step S114). The destination of the matching approval notification may be all the members of the group or only the manager of the group. For example, the matching approval notification may be transmitted to the second user terminal 20 used by a user belonging to the same group as the user of the first user terminal 10 (step S115).

  FIG. 7 is a sequence chart illustrating an example of a processing flow of the communication system 1. FIG. 7 shows a flow of processing until a group becomes a merged group. In the sequence chart of FIG. 7, the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs and the group to which the user of the third user terminal 30 belongs are already approved groups.

  First, the user of the first user terminal 10 performs a merge request operation by operating the input unit 102 of the first user terminal 10 (step S201). The merge request operation is, for example, an operation of selecting a group desired to merge from one or a plurality of approval groups displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. The control unit 104 generates a merge request based on the selected group. The merge request includes the group ID of the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 requests the merge, the group ID of the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs, and the And a user ID indicating the user. The control unit 104 of the first user terminal 10 transmits the generated merge request to the server 40 (Step S202).

  Upon receiving the merge request, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 determines the relationship between the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs and the group to which the merge request is made in a merge unapproved state. (Step S203). For example, the value of the merging group in the group record 71 of the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs, the group ID of the group for which the merging request is to be made, and the “unmerging unapproved state” The process of step S203 may be performed by registering a value indicating Similarly, the group ID of the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs and the “unmerged unapproved state” are included in the value of the merged group in the group record 71 of the group to which the merge request is made. May be registered.

  Next, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 generates information (merge request notification) for notifying that a merge request has been made to a member of the group to which the merge request has been made. The merge request notification includes information on the group that has requested the merge request (the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs). The matching control unit 405 sends the generated merge request notification to the members of the group that is the target of the merge request (step S204). The destination of the merge request notification may be all members of the group or only the manager of the group.

  Upon receiving the merge request notification, the control unit 104 of the third user terminal 30 displays on the display unit 103 that the merge request has been made and information about the group of the request source of the merge request. In response to such a display, the user of the third user terminal 30 performs a merging approval operation (step S205). The merge approval operation is an operation for selecting that the group that has requested the merge request and the group to which it belongs belong to a merge group. The joining approval operation is performed on the input unit 102 by the user. When the merge approval operation is performed, the control unit 104 generates merge approval information. The merge approval information includes information indicating that the merge request has been approved, the group ID of the group requesting the merge request, and the group of the merge request request destination (to which the user of the third user terminal 30 belongs. Group) and a user ID indicating the user of the third user terminal 30. The control unit 104 transmits the generated merge approval information to the server 40 (Step S206).

  Upon receiving the merge approval information, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 executes merge approval processing (step S207). The details are as follows. The matching control unit 405 determines the relationship between the group that has requested the merge request (the group of users of the first user terminal 10) and the group that has performed the approval operation on the merge request (the group of users of the third user terminal 30). Is updated to the state of the merging group. For example, the group ID of the group that has approved the merge request and the value indicating “approved” are added to the merge group value of the group record 71 of the group to which the request source user of the merge request belongs. The processing of step S207 may be performed by registration. Similarly, the value of the merging group of the group record 71 of the group that has approved the merging request includes the group ID of the group to which the user requesting the merging request belongs, a value indicating “approved”, May be registered. When the merge approval process is executed, the two groups targeted for the process (in this embodiment, the group to which the user of the first user terminal 10 belongs and the group to which the user of the third user terminal 30 belongs) A new composite group consisting of members is formed. Then, a communication service is provided to the members of the above two groups via the composite group.

  Next, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 generates information (merging approval notification) for notifying that the merging request has been approved to a member of the group that has requested the merging request. The merge approval notification includes information on the group to which the merge request is requested (the group to which the user of the third user terminal 30 belongs). The matching control unit 405 transmits the generated merge approval notification to the group member that has requested the merge request (step S208). The transmission destination of the merge approval notification may be all the members of the group or only the manager of the group. For example, a merge approval notification may be transmitted to the second user terminal 20 used by a user belonging to the same group as the user of the first user terminal 10 (step S209).

  Hereinafter, a specific example of a screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. The description of each screen described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 20 is common to the user terminals.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the matching home screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. The control unit 104 generates the matching home screen based on the installed program. The matching home screen is displayed in response to the user selecting a button (for example, a button labeled “matching” at the bottom of the screen) indicating that the user wants to switch to the matching home screen on the home screen. When a button ("upper right" on the screen) labeled "account" is selected on the matching home screen, the screen shifts to a group account setting screen (FIG. 9). Buttons on the matching home screen that describe the conditions for the matching candidates (for example, a button labeled “Activity base”, a button labeled “Age”, a button labeled “Group configuration”, and “Interest” When one of the described buttons is selected, the screen shifts to a matching candidate list screen (FIG. 11). When a button (“upper left”) described as “request” is selected on the matching home screen, the screen shifts to a request reception screen (FIG. 14) or a request transmission screen (FIG. 16). When the button ("centering" at the top of the screen) described as "matching" is selected on the matching home screen, the screen moves to an approval group list screen (FIG. 18).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a group account setting screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. The group account setting screen is a screen for editing information on the group to which the user belongs. In the example of FIG. 9, three images of a human face are displayed side by side. Each face image shows a specific example of a representative image set for each of the three groups. The image of the left face is a representative image set for group X. The image of the middle face is a representative image set for group A. The image of the right face is a representative image set for group Z. The user of the user terminal on which the screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed belongs to at least three groups, Group X, Group A, and Group Z. Among them, the setting related to the group A displayed in the middle is made.

  The invitation code is a code used when a user who has not yet belonged to the group A (hereinafter, referred to as “unsubscribed user”) joins the group A. For example, a user who has already belonged to the group A (hereinafter referred to as “subscribed user”) notifies the invitation code to the unsubscribed user, so that the unsubscribed user easily belongs to the group A. Becomes possible. When the button described as “edit group account” is selected, the screen shifts to a group account edit screen (FIG. 10). When the button described as “Save settings” is selected, the contents of the group account currently edited on the group account edit screen are saved.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the group account editing screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. The group account editing screen is a screen for editing information about a group. In the example of FIG. 10, an icon in the shape of a camera is displayed at the upper left. When the user selects this icon, the representative image set in the group can be changed. In the text box (elongated rectangle: hereinafter referred to as “title box”) displayed below the representative image, the title of the introduction of the group can be input. In a text box displayed below the title box (an elongated rectangle having a width wider than the title box: hereinafter referred to as an "introduction box"), an introduction sentence of the group can be input. Below the introductory text box, multiple tags are displayed. In FIG. 10, three tags of “music”, “fashion”, and “circle seminar” are displayed, but the number of displayed tags is not limited to three. Below the tags, input boxes for representatives, ages, number of members, locations of activity, and free words are displayed. In each input box, a value indicating each item can be input.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a matching candidate list screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. On the matching candidate list screen, one or more groups of matching candidates notified from the server 40 to the group of users of the first user terminal 10 are displayed. In the example of FIG. 11, group B and group C are displayed as matching candidates. By scrolling the screen, another group of matching candidates not shown in FIG. 11 may be further displayed. In the column of each matching candidate group, a part or all of the information set on the group account editing screen in each group is displayed. When a button (upper part of the screen) described as “Search by detailed conditions” is selected, a detailed search screen (FIG. 12) is displayed. When the button of the group of the matching candidates is selected, a matching candidate detailed screen (FIG. 13) is displayed.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the detailed search screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. On the detailed search screen, a display for setting conditions for a group selected as a matching candidate is displayed. In the example of FIG. 12, input frames for inputting “age”, “group number”, “location”, and “tag” are displayed. The user can set a condition for the input frame of each value. After that, when the “detailed search” button is selected, the condition set for each input frame at that time is given to the matching candidate request as attribute information. Then, the matching candidate request is transmitted to the server 40. For example, when “20” is selected as the age, a group having many members in their 20s or a group whose average age is in their 20s is selected as a matching candidate.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a matching candidate detailed screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. On the matching candidate detail screen, detailed information on the group of matching candidates selected by the user on the matching candidate list screen is displayed. For example, part or all of the information set on the group account editing screen for the selected matching candidate is displayed. On the matching candidate details screen, more information is displayed than the information displayed on the matching candidate list screen. When a button described as “send matching request” is selected, a matching request is generated and transmitted for a matching candidate whose information is displayed on the matching candidate detail screen.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a request reception screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. On the request reception screen, a list of transmission source groups that transmit matching candidate requests to the group of users of the first user terminal 10 is displayed. In the example of FIG. 14, a group B and a group C transmit a matching request to a group of users of the first user terminal 10. When a group displayed on the request reception screen is selected, a request reception detail screen (FIG. 15) is displayed.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the request reception detail screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. The request reception detail screen displays the detailed information of the group selected on the request reception screen among the groups transmitting the matching candidate request to the group of the user of the first user terminal 10. For example, a part or all of the information set on the group account editing screen for the group transmitting the matching candidate request is displayed. When the button described as “Approve request” is selected, matching approval information is generated and transmitted. When a button described as “reject request” is selected, matching reject information is generated and transmitted. The matching rejection information includes the group ID of the group that has transmitted the matching request and the group ID of the group to which the user who has selected “reject request” belongs. In this case, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 cancels the unapproved state of the two groups included in the matching rejection information, and returns to the state before the unapproved state.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a request transmission screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. On the request transmission screen, a list of groups of matching candidates to which the group of users of the first user terminal 10 has transmitted the matching candidate request is displayed. In the example of FIG. 16, the group of the users of the first user terminal 10 transmits a matching request to the groups B and C. When a group displayed on the request transmission screen is selected, a request transmission details screen (FIG. 17) is displayed.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the request transmission detail screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. On the request transmission detail screen, among the groups to which the group of the user of the first user terminal 10 has transmitted the matching candidate request, detailed information of the group selected on the request transmission screen is displayed. For example, a part or all of the information set on the group account editing screen for the group transmitting the matching candidate request is displayed. When a button described as “cancel matching request” is selected, matching request cancel information is generated and transmitted. The matching request cancel information includes the group ID of the group to which the matching request is transmitted and the group ID of the group to which the user who has selected “cancel the matching request” belongs. In this case, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 cancels the unapproved state of the two groups included in the matching request cancel information, and returns to the state before the unapproved state.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of an approval group list screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. On the approval group list screen, a list of groups in which the group of the user of the first user terminal 10 is in the approval group state is displayed. In the example of FIG. 18, the groups of the users of the first user terminal 10 are in a group B, a group C, a group D, and an approval group. When a group displayed on the approval group list screen is selected, a limited communication screen (FIG. 19) is displayed.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the limited communication screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. On the limited communication screen, a limited communication service is provided to the group in the approval group state. In the specific example shown in FIG. 19, it is possible for the managers of the group in the approval group state to have a text-based conversation. Further, the contents of the conversation between the managers as shown in FIG. 19 can be viewed by members other than the manager of each group in the approval group state. In addition to the example illustrated in FIG. 19, a screen that displays images shared with each other and a screen that displays articles related to past events may be displayed between groups in the approval group state.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of an approval group detail screen displayed on the display unit 103 of the first user terminal 10. On the approval group detail screen, detailed information of a group that is in an approval group state with the group of the user of the first user terminal 10 is displayed. For example, part or all of the information set on the group account editing screen for the group in the approval group state is displayed. When the button described as “group merge” is selected, merge request or merge approval information is generated and transmitted. When the button described as “unmatched” is selected, unmatched information is generated and transmitted. The matching cancellation information includes the group ID of each group in the approval state. In this case, the matching control unit 405 of the server 40 cancels the states of the approval groups of the two groups included in the matching cancellation information and returns to the state before the unapproved state.

  In the communication system 1 configured as described above, it is possible to communicate in a group unit between users belonging to different groups. Therefore, it is possible to give a sense of security as compared with a case where communication is directly performed between users without going through a group. For example, even for a user who feels reluctant to receive such a matching service, it is possible to ease the reluctance by receiving the matching on a group basis.

  Further, a group that satisfies a predetermined condition based on the information about the group is notified as a matching candidate. Therefore, matching with a group that is more interesting can be performed.

  Also, instead of being able to communicate with the group notified as a matching candidate without taking any steps, limited communication is possible as the status of the approval group, and after that, the reunion Communication is possible after approval is obtained. Therefore, it is possible to more easily try to exchange with the matching candidates between the groups.

  Users or administrators in each group may be able to review and rate other groups. With this configuration, it is possible to know an objective evaluation of what kind of group the other party is before communicating with another group.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiments and includes a design and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication system, 10 ... First user terminal, 20 ... Second user terminal, 30 ... Third user terminal, 40 ... Server, 50 ... Network, 101 ... Communication unit, 102 ... Input unit, 103 ... Display unit, 104 ... Control unit, 401 communication unit, 402 control unit, 403 table storage unit, 404 group control unit, 405 matching control unit, 406 candidate selection unit

Claims (3)

A first user, a group control unit that provides a communication service to a second user belonging to the same group as the group to which the first user belongs ,
A selection unit for selecting a predetermined condition is satisfied groups between the group first user to the first user a group different from a group that contains belongs,
Notifying the first user of the information of the group selected by the selection unit as information of a matching candidate that is a candidate of another group with which the first user and the second user communicate, and receiving the notification In response to the operation of the first user and the operation of a user belonging to the group of matching candidates, a member of the group to which the first user belongs and a member of the group of matching candidates are provided by a communication service provided by the group control unit. A matching control unit that enables communication by
Equipped with a,
The matching control unit, for the group to which the first user belongs, and for the group of matching candidates, to provide a communication service more limited than the communication service provided to users belonging to the same group, In response to the instruction to join by one or both groups, the communication to the group to which the first user belongs and the group of the matching candidates is more limited than the limited communication service. A server that controls to provide services . A first user, a group control step of providing a communication service to a second user belonging to the same group as the group to which the first user belongs ,
A selection step of selecting a predetermined condition is satisfied groups between the group first user to the first user a group different from a group that contains belongs,
Notifying the first user of the information of the group selected in the selecting step as information of a matching candidate that is a candidate of another group with which the first user and the second user communicate, and receiving the notification In response to the operation of the first user and the operation of a user belonging to the group of the matching candidates, a member of the group to which the first user belongs and a member of the group of the matching candidates are provided by a communication service by the group control step. A matching control step that enables communication by
Equipped with a,
In the matching control step, for the group to which the first user belongs, and for the group of matching candidates, providing a communication service that is more limited than the communication service provided to users belonging to the same group, In response to the instruction to join by one or both groups, the communication to the group to which the first user belongs and the group of the matching candidates is more limited than the limited communication service. A communication provision method that controls the provision of services . A first user, a group control step of providing a communication service to a second user belonging to the same group as the group to which the first user belongs ,
A selection step of selecting a predetermined condition is satisfied groups between the group first user to the first user a group different from a group that contains belongs,
Notifying the first user of the information of the group selected in the selecting step as information of a matching candidate that is a candidate of another group with which the first user and the second user communicate, and receiving the notification In response to the operation of the first user and the operation of a user belonging to the group of the matching candidates, a member of the group to which the first user belongs and a member of the group of the matching candidates are provided by a communication service by the group control step. A matching control step that enables communication by
To the computer ,
In the matching control step, for the group to which the first user belongs, and for the group of matching candidates, providing a communication service that is more limited than the communication service provided to users belonging to the same group, In response to the instruction to join by one or both groups, the communication to the group to which the first user belongs and the group of the matching candidates is more limited than the limited communication service. Computer program for controlling to provide services .

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