JP6752388B2 - Servers, information processing methods, and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention, server, information processing method, and a program.

A social network service providing system is known in which a plurality of users perform a predetermined operation on an information terminal to set a relationship between user accounts (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Users who have a relationship between accounts can easily send and receive messages to each other by using a message sending / receiving service such as chat.

In addition, in order to support conversations in virtual space on the network, a new web page is created based on the user's access count value, and the created web page contains a plurality of access count values within a predetermined range. A conversation support method for guiding a user is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-160510 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-022244

In the message transmission / reception service that sends / receives messages between pre-registered users, communication between users may not be started for some reason after the association between user accounts is registered. In such a case, it is difficult to promote communication between users even if the users whose communication is not started are guided to the same web page or the like as in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example.

As described above, in the conventional technology, it has been difficult to promote communication between users whose communication is not started after the association between user accounts is registered in the message transmission / reception service or the like.

One embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and promotes communication between users whose communication is not started after the association between accounts is registered in a message transmission / reception service or the like. To facilitate.

In order to solve the above problems, the server according to the embodiment of the present invention is a server that transmits information displayed in a chat room including the first user of the first account and the second user of the second account. , A storage unit that stores the first account and the second account in association with each other and stores information on the date in which the first account and the second account are associated, and the storage unit stored in the storage unit. The related information includes a communication unit that transmits related information related to the first account and the second account based on the date information to the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user. Based information is included in the chat room displayed on the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a message transmission / reception service or the like, it is possible to facilitate communication between users whose communication is not started after the association between accounts is registered.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information processing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration example of the management server which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration example of the information terminal which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the information processing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the account information which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the relational registration information which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the log information which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of the information provision process which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure (1) which shows the example of the display screen which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure (2) which shows the example of the display screen which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure (1) which shows the example of the display screen which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure (2) which shows the example of the display screen which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the information processing system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the information provision process which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the social graph which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the distance between users which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure (1) which shows the example of the display screen of the chat room which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure (2) which shows the example of the display screen of the chat room which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing system according to an embodiment. The information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a management server 101 connected to a network 103 such as the Internet, and a plurality of information terminals 102-1 to 102-3. In the following description, when any information terminal among a plurality of information terminals 102-1 to 102-3 is shown, "information terminal 102" is used. Further, the number of information terminals 102 in FIG. 1 is an example, and the number of information terminals 102 may be any number of two or more.

The management server 101 is, for example, an information processing device (server device) that provides a message transmission / reception service such as an IM (instant Messenger) service. The management server 101 manages the registration of relationships between accounts (for example, friendships) in the message transmission / reception service, and provides a message transmission / reception service for transmitting / receiving messages between accounts in which relationships are registered.

The information terminal 102 is an information terminal such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, a PC (Personal Computer), or a game machine used by a user of a message transmission / reception service. The information terminal 102 can be connected to the network 103 by, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Net Work) or a public wireless communication service, and can communicate with the management server 101, another information terminal 102, or the like. Further, it is assumed that an application program (hereinafter referred to as an application) corresponding to the message transmission / reception service provided by the management server 101 is installed and operating on the information terminal 102.

With the above configuration, for example, the user of the information terminal 102-1 and the other users of the information terminal 102-2 perform a predetermined operation on the information terminal 102 to associate the accounts with the management server 101. You can request registration. The management server 101 that receives the request stores and manages the account of the user of the information terminal 102-1 and the account of the user of the information terminal 102-2 in association with each other.

In addition, the user of the information terminal 102-1 sends and receives a message by using the message transmission / reception service provided by the management server 101 with the user of the information terminal 102-2 in which the association between the accounts is registered. Can be done.

For example, the management server 101 creates a virtual space (hereinafter referred to as a chat room) for sending and receiving messages (hereinafter referred to as chat) on the applications of the information terminal 102-1 and the information terminal 102-2. .. Further, the management server 101 causes the information terminal 102-1 and the information terminal 102-2 to participate in the same communication session. As a result, the user of the information terminal 102-1 can chat with the user of the information terminal 102-2 by using the created chat room.

Further, the management server 101 according to the present embodiment, for example, if the chat is not started within a predetermined period after the association is registered between the two accounts, the information related to the two accounts is input to the two accounts. Provide to chat rooms where you can chat between.

At this time, the information provided includes, for example, information related to other accounts related to the two accounts, common information included in the profile information of the two accounts, information with strong relevance, and the like. Further, the information provided at this time may include information on a predetermined service, for example, a service registered by two accounts, link information to the service, and the like.

For example, even if a chat room is provided, it may be difficult for users who do not start chatting within a predetermined period to start chatting because there is no information on a common topic. However, according to the present embodiment, it becomes easy to start a chat because information related to both is provided to a chat room between users who do not start a chat within a predetermined period.

As described above, according to the management server 101 according to the present embodiment, in the message transmission / reception service or the like, it is possible to facilitate the promotion of communication between users whose communication is not started after the association between accounts is registered.

The configuration of the information processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. For example, the management server 101 may be composed of a plurality of information processing devices. Further, the service used by the user using the information terminal 102 is not limited to the IM service, and may be, for example, an SNS (Social Networking Service) service, a blog (blog) service, or the like. That is, the present embodiment is applied to a service in which the accounts of users who use the service are related by a predetermined relationship and data such as a message is transmitted and received between the accounts of the users to which the predetermined relationship is associated. obtain.

<Hardware configuration>
Next, the hardware configuration of the management server 101 and the information terminal 102 will be described.

(Hardware configuration of management server)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the management server according to the embodiment. The management server 101 has a general computer configuration, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 202, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 203, a storage unit 204, and a network. It has an I / F (Interface) unit 205, an input unit 206, a display unit 207, an RTC (Real Time Clock) unit 208, a bus 209, and the like.

The CPU 201 is an arithmetic unit that realizes control and functions of the entire management server 101 by reading programs and data stored in the ROM 203, the storage unit 204, and the like on the RAM 202 and executing processing. The RAM 202 is a volatile memory used as a work area or the like of the CPU 201. The ROM 203 is, for example, a non-volatile memory in which a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) executed when the management server 101 is started, various settings, and the like are stored.

The storage unit 204 is a storage device that stores an OS (Operating System), various application programs, and the like, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and an SSD (Solid State Drive).

The network I / F unit 205 is a communication interface for connecting the management server 101 to the network 103 and communicating with the information terminal 102 and the like.

The input unit 206 is, for example, an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse, and is used by a user to input various operation signals to the management server 101. The display unit 207 is, for example, a display device such as a display, and displays a processing result or the like by the management server 101. The input unit 206, the display unit 207, and the like may be used by connecting to the management server 101 when necessary.

The RTC unit 208 is, for example, a real-time clock that is backed up by a backup battery and keeps ticking the date and time even when the power of the management server 101 is turned off.

The bus 209 is commonly connected to each of the above configurations and transmits, for example, an address signal, a data signal, various control signals, and the like.

(Hardware configuration of information terminal)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the information terminal according to the embodiment. The information terminal 102 has a general computer configuration, for example, CPU 301, RAM 302, ROM 303, storage unit 304, network I / F unit 305, display input unit 306, position information acquisition unit 307, short-range wireless communication. It has a communication unit 308, a bus 309, and the like.

The CPU 301 is an arithmetic unit that realizes control and functions of the entire information terminal 102 by reading programs and data stored in the ROM 303, the storage unit 304, and the like onto the RAM 302 and executing processing. The RAM 302 is a volatile memory used as a work area or the like of the CPU 301. The ROM 303 is, for example, a non-volatile memory in which a BIOS executed when the information terminal 102 is started, various settings, and the like are stored.

The storage unit 304 is a storage device that stores an OS, various application programs, and the like, such as an HDD, SSD, and flash ROM.

The network I / F unit 305 is a communication interface for connecting the information terminal 102 to the network 103 and communicating with the management server 101, other information terminals 102, and the like.

The display input unit 306 is, for example, a display input device such as a touch panel display, which accepts a user's input operation and displays a processing result or the like by the information terminal 102. The display input unit 306 may be provided separately for the input unit and the display unit.

The position information acquisition unit 307 is a device that acquires the position information of the information terminal 102, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit.

The short-range wireless communication unit 308 is a communication device that performs predetermined short-range wireless communication with another mobile terminal 10, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Bluetooth Low Energy (hereinafter referred to as BLE).

The bus 309 is commonly connected to each of the above configurations and transmits, for example, an address signal, a data signal, various control signals, and the like.

<Functional configuration>
Next, the functional configuration of the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 is a functional configuration diagram of the information processing system 100 according to the embodiment.

(Functional configuration of management server)
The management server 101 includes a communication unit 401, an account information management unit 402, a relationship registration management unit 403, an information providing unit 404, a chat service providing unit 405, a log information management unit 406, a storage unit 407, and the like.

The communication unit 401 is a means for connecting the management server 101 to the network 103 and transmitting / receiving data to / from a plurality of information terminals 102-1 to 102-3 and the like. The communication unit 401 is realized by, for example, a program running on the network I / F unit 205 of FIG. 2 and the CPU 201 of FIG.

The account information management unit 402 stores and manages the account information related to the message transmission / reception service provided by the management server 101 in advance as account information 408 in the storage unit 407, for example. The account information management unit 402 is realized by, for example, a program running on the CPU 201 of FIG.

The user may have a plurality of accounts having different unique information (for example, user ID, telephone number, e-mail address, etc.). In addition, the account according to this embodiment is not only an individual user account, but also an official account for officially distributing information by a predetermined account such as a company, a corporation, an organization, a shop, or a person. including. Therefore, in the following description, the "account" also includes a plurality of accounts of the same user having different unique information from each other, an official account, and the like.

The relationship registration management unit 403 performs the association process between accounts in response to the registration request for registering the association between accounts (for example, friendship) from the information terminal 102 or the like. Further, the information of the associated account is stored in the storage unit 407 as the relation registration information 409, for example. The relationship registration management unit 403 is realized by, for example, a program running on the CPU 201 of FIG.

If the chat is not started within a predetermined period after the association is registered between the first account and the second account, the information providing unit 404 provides information related to the first and second accounts. Provided in the chat room between the 1st account and the 2nd account.

The information provided by the information providing unit 404 includes, for example, information about a third account in which associations are registered between the first account and the second account. Alternatively, the information provided by the information providing unit 404 is a common field of interest based on the account information of the first account and the account information of the second account, information common to the profile, or information with strong relevance. It may contain. The information providing unit 404 is realized by, for example, a program running on the CPU 201 of FIG. 2, an RTC unit 208, and the like.

The chat service providing unit 405 is a means for providing a chat service to a plurality of accounts related to the message sending / receiving service, and is realized by, for example, a program running on the CPU 201 of FIG.

For example, when the chat service providing unit 405 chats using the information terminal 102-1 and the information terminal 102-2, the chat service providing unit 405 chats on the apps of the information terminal 102-1 and the information terminal 102-2. Create a room. In addition, the chat service providing unit 405 causes the information terminal 102-1 and the information terminal 102-2 to participate in the same communication session. Further, the chat service providing unit 405 relays a message transmitted and received between the information terminal 102-1 and the information terminal 102-2. As a result, chat can be performed between the information terminal 102-1 and the information terminal 102-2.

In this embodiment, the chat room will be described as being created on the application of the information terminal 102, but this is just an example, and the chat service providing unit 405 creates the chat room on the management server 101. It may be something to do.

The log information management unit 406 stores and manages the history of processing and operations of applications operating on a plurality of information terminals 102-1 to 102-3, for example, as log information 410 in the storage unit 407. The log information management unit 406 is realized by, for example, a program running on the CPU 201 of FIG. The log information 410 includes, for example, information such as the time when the chat is transmitted and received, and the time when the association between the accounts is registered.

The storage unit 407 is, for example, a means for storing the account information 408, the relationship registration information 409, the log information 410, and the like described above, and is realized by, for example, the storage unit 204 and the like in FIG. Further, the storage unit 407 may be realized by another server device (for example, a storage server, a cloud) or the like connected via the network 103.

The configuration of the account information 408, the relationship registration information 409, and the log information 410 stored in the storage unit 407 will be described later.

(Functional configuration of information terminal)
The information terminal 102 has a communication unit 411, a storage unit 412, a relationship registration request unit 413, a chat control unit 414, and a display input unit 415. In FIG. 4, it is assumed that the information terminals 102-1 to 102-3 have the same configuration.

The communication unit 411 is a means for connecting the information terminal 102 to the network 103 and transmitting / receiving data to / from the management server 101 or the like. The communication unit 401 is realized by, for example, a program running on the network I / F unit 305 of FIG. 3 and the CPU 301 of FIG.

The storage unit 412 is a means for storing an application for a message transmission / reception service provided by the management server 101, information of the application, and the like, and is realized by, for example, the storage unit 304 of FIG.

The relationship registration request unit 413 is a means for requesting registration of association with another account in response to a predetermined operation on the application for message transmission / reception service. For example, a program (application) operating on the CPU 301 of FIG. Realized by.

The chat control unit 414 is a means for controlling the transmission / reception (chat) of a message by the message transmission / reception service provided by the management server 101, and is realized by, for example, a program (app) running on the CPU 301 of FIG.

The display input unit 415 is a means for displaying the display screen according to the control of the relationship registration request unit 413, the chat control unit 414, etc., and accepting the user's operation. For example, the display input unit of FIG. 3 and the display input unit of FIG. It is realized by a program or the like running on the CPU 301.

<Information managed by the management server>
Here, an example of each information managed by the management server 101 will be described.

(account information)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of account information according to one embodiment. The account information 408 managed by the account information management unit 402 includes, for example, information such as unique information 501, name information 502, image information 503, and explanatory information 504.

Preferably, the account information 408 further includes information such as field of interest 505, region 506, age 507, account type 508, and the like.

The unique information 501 is information for uniquely identifying an account, and for example, information such as a telephone number, an e-mail address, or a user ID acquired (or given) from the management server 101 is registered. As the unique information 501, information other than the above may be used as long as the information can uniquely identify the account.

In the name information 502, for example, information on the display name of the user or account displayed in a chat room or the like is registered.

A profile image or the like for each account is registered in the image information 503. For example, if the account is an individual user account, a celebrity official account, or the like, for example, an image of a person or the like is registered as image information 503. If the account is an official account of a company or the like, for example, a company logo, a product image, or the like is registered as image information 503. The above description is merely an example, and an image other than a person's image, a company logo, or a product image may be registered in the image information 503.

In the explanatory information 504, for example, sentences such as a brief self-introduction, a comment, and a word of the account are registered.

In the field of interest 505, for example, information on the field of interest is registered for each account.

In the area 506, for example, information such as a residential area of an individual user and a service providing area of a company or a shop is registered.

The age 507 stores information related to the age of the user, such as the age and age.

In the account type 508, for example, information on the account type such as an individual account and an official account is stored.

The account information 408 shown in FIG. 5 is just an example. In the account information 408, various information related to the account is stored in association with the unique information 501 for uniquely identifying the account.

(Relationship registration information)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of relationship registration information according to one embodiment. The relationship registration information 409 managed by the relationship registration management unit 403 stores registration information 601 including information of a plurality of accounts whose associations have been registered by the relationship registration management unit 403 with respect to the unique information 501 of each account. There is.

For example, in the example of FIG. 6, accounts such as "User_ID_02", "User_ID_03", and "Official_ID_A" are associated and registered with the account whose unique information 501 is "User_ID_01". Similarly, the unique information 501 is registered in association with the account of "User_ID_02" and the accounts such as "User_ID_01", "User_ID_03", and "Official _ID_A".

Preferably, the relationship registration information 409 further includes information on the registration date and time 602 in which each association is made, information on the registration location 603, and the like. This makes it possible to specify the date and time when the relationship between accounts is registered, the location, and the like.

In addition, each information managed by the relational registration information 409 may be included in the account information 408.

(Log information)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of log information according to one embodiment. Information such as log type 701 and date and time 702 is recorded in the log information 410 for each account. The example of FIG. 7 shows the log information 410 of the account of "User_ID_01", and such log information 410 is stored in the storage unit 407 for each account.

In the information of the log type 701, information such as operations and processes performed by the application is recorded. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, it is remembered that the account of "User_ID_01" sent and received a plurality of chats with the account of "User_ID_03" and registered the relationship between "Official_ID_A" and the account. Has been done.

In the information of the date and time 702, the information of the date and time when each of the above operations and the processing is performed is stored.

In the above description, it is assumed that the log information 410 stores information such as operations and processes performed by the application, but the log information 410 is executed on the management server 101 side. The information of the processing may be stored.

For example, in the log type 701 of FIG. 7, the management server 101 has transferred the chat from "User_ID_01" to "User_ID_03", registered the relationship between the accounts of "User_ID_01" and "Official_ID_A", and the like. It may be memorized. In this case, the date and time information 702 stores the date and time when the management server 101 performed the above processing.

In this way, the log information 410 stores information such as the processing of the application of the information terminal 102 and / or the management server 101 for specifying the history of chatting for each account and registration of associations between accounts. Will be done.

The management server 101 may realize each of the following processes by the processing on the management server 101 side without using the log information 410.

<Details of processing>
Next, the details of the processing according to the present embodiment will be described.

(Outline of processing)
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of the information providing process according to the embodiment.

The relationship registration management unit 403 of the management server 101 registers the relationship (association) between the first account and the second account (step S801).

When the relationship between the first account and the second account is registered, has the information providing unit 404 started sending and receiving messages (chat) between the first account and the second account within a predetermined period? It is determined whether or not (steps S802, S803).

The execution order of step S802 and step S803 shown in FIG. 8 is an example, and the execution order of step S802 and step S803 may be reversed. For example, the information providing unit 404 may execute step S803 before step S802.

When the chat is started between the first account and the second account within a predetermined period (“YES” in step S802), the information providing unit 404 ends the information providing process.

On the other hand, if the chat is not started between the first account and the second account within the predetermined period (“YES” in step S803), the information providing unit 404 provides information related to the first account and the second account. Is extracted (step S804).

Further, the information providing unit 404 provides (for example, displays) the information extracted in step S804 to the chat room between the first account and the second account.

If the chat is not started within the specified period after registering the association between the first account and the second account by the above process, the information related to the first account and the second account will be the first account and the second account. Provided to chat rooms between accounts.

Subsequently, a specific example will be described separately for a plurality of embodiments.

[First Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the information providing unit 404 provides the information of the third account in which the association between the first account and the second account is registered as the information related to the first account and the second account. An example of the case will be described.

The third account may be an individual user account or an official account, but first, an example in which the official account information is used as the information of the third account will be described. To do.

For example, in the account information 408 shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that after the association is registered between the user 1 and the user 2, the chat is not started between the two within a predetermined period.

In this case, the information providing unit 404 of the management server 101 is associated with the user 1 (unique information "User_ID_01") and the user 2 (unique information "User_ID_02") by using the relationship registration information 409 shown in FIG. Identify the official account.

In the example of FIG. 6, two accounts "User_ID_03" and "Official_ID_A" are associated with user 1 and user 2. Further, from the account type 508 of FIG. 5, it can be seen that "Official_ID_A" is the official account of restaurant A. In this case, the information providing unit 404 of the management server 101 provides the information related to the account of the restaurant A to the chat room where the user 1 and the user 2 have a chat.

At this time, examples of the display screen displayed on the information terminal 102 of the user 1 are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9A shows an example of the message list screen 901 displayed on the information terminal 102 of the user 1. As shown in FIG. 9A, the user name 902, profile image 903, and the like of the user 2 are displayed on the message list screen 901, as in the case of receiving the message from the user 2. Further, the circled number "1" next to the user name 902 indicates the number of received messages.

For example, when the user name 902 of the user 2 is selected from the message list screen 901 of FIG. 9 (a), the chat screen (an example of a chat room) 905 with the user 2 is displayed as shown in FIG. 9 (b). To. In FIG. 9A, the chat screen 905 displays the profile image 906, the name 907, the description 908, and the like of the restaurant A based on, for example, the account information 408.

Further, in FIG. 10A, when the user 1 inputs a message in the message input field 1001 and selects the send button 1002, the input message 1003 is displayed on the chat screen 905 and is displayed to the user 2. Will be sent. In response to this, when the message returned by the user 2 is received, the received message 1004 is displayed on the chat screen 905.

For example, even if the chat room between user 1 and user 2 is automatically activated, it is difficult to find a common topic between user 1 and user 2 who have not chatted before. There is. However, in the present embodiment, not only the chat room between the user 1 and the user 2 is activated, but also the common information or the related information is automatically provided to both of the user 1 and the user 2. It will be easier to start a chat between.

In the above example, the example of the display screen displayed on the information terminal 102 of the user 1 has been described, but the same display screen is also displayed on the information terminal 102 of the user 2.

(Another example)
In the above description, an example in which the information of the official account is used as the information of the third account in which the association between the first account and the second account is registered has been described. However, the information of the third account in which the association between the first account and the second account is registered may be the information of the personal account.

For example, in the example of FIG. 6, two accounts "User_ID_03" and "Official_ID_A" are associated with user 1 and user 2. Further, from the account type 508 of FIG. 5, it can be seen that "User_ID_03" is the personal account of the user 3. In this case, the information providing unit 404 of the management server 101 may provide the account information of the user 3 to the chat room where the user 1 and the user 2 chat with each other.

At this time, an example of the display screen displayed on the information terminal 102 of the user 1 is shown in FIG. 10 (b). In FIG. 10B, the profile image 1006, the name 1007, and the like of the user 3 are displayed on the chat screen 1005 based on the account information 408. In this case as well, since both user 1 and user 2 are considered to be related to user 3, the same effect as when displaying the official account can be expected.

Further, as another example, the information providing unit 404 selects one account from the official account and the personal account as the information of the third account in which the association between the first account and the second account is registered. It may be the one you choose.

When there are a plurality of accounts associated with the user 1 and the user 2, the information providing unit 404 needs to select one account from the plurality of accounts, but the selection method may be any method. ..

For example, the information providing unit 404 may randomly select one account from a plurality of accounts. Alternatively, the information providing unit 404 may select an account corresponding to an area closer to the area 506 of the user 1 and the user 2 based on the information of the area 806 of the account information 408 shown in FIG. Further, the information providing unit 404 calculates the number of times the user 1 and the user 2 have accessed the plurality of accounts, the number of times the chat has been performed, and the like based on the log information 410 shown in FIG. 7, and the number of updates is larger. It may be one that selects an account. Furthermore, the information providing unit 404 may select an account to which the user 1 and the user 2 most recently accessed or sent / received a message based on the log information 410 shown in FIG. 7.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, as information related to the information providing unit 404, the first account and the second account, information common to or related to the account information of the first account and the account information of the second account. An example of using is described.

For example, in the account information 408 shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that after the association is registered between the user 1 and the user 2, the chat is not started between the two within a predetermined period.

In this case, the information providing unit 404 of the management server 101 uses the account information 408 shown in FIG. 5 to extract a character string commonly included in the user 1 and the user 2, for example, the field of interest 505. In the example of FIG. 5, the information of the field of interest 505 of the user 1 and the user 2 commonly includes the character string "tennis". In this case, the information providing unit 404 of the management server 101 provides information about "tennis" to the chat room where the user 1 and the user 2 have a chat.

Preferably, at this time, the information providing unit 404 is not only a character string that exactly matches. It is desirable to extract highly relevant character strings.

At this time, an example of a chat screen displayed on the information terminal 102 of the user 1 is shown in FIG. 11A. In the example of FIG. 11A, the character string 1102 of "tennis" selected by the information providing unit 404 is displayed on the chat screen 1101 instead of the message from the user 2. Preferably, the chat screen 1101 also displays an image 1103 related to tennis, a topic 1104 related to tennis, and the like. Information such as the image 1103 related to tennis and the topics 1104 related to tennis shall be acquired by the information providing unit 404 from the Web.

Further, in FIG. 11B, when the user 1 inputs a message in the message input field 1105 and selects the send button 1106, the input message 1107 is displayed on the chat screen 1101 and is displayed to the user 2. Will be sent. In response to this, when the message returned by the user 2 is received, the received message 1108 is displayed on the chat screen 1101.

In the above example, the example of the display screen displayed on the information terminal 102 of the user 1 has been described, but the same display screen is also displayed on the information terminal 102 of the user 2.

(Another example)
In the above description, an example in which the information providing unit 404 extracts information common to or related to the field of interest 505 of the user 1 and the user 2 by using the account information 408 has been described. However, the information providing unit 404 may extract information common to the explanatory information 504 of the account information 408 or related information instead of the information common to the field of interest 505 or related information. For example, in the example of FIG. 5, the information of the explanatory information 504 of the user 1 and the user 2 commonly includes the character string "XX station". In this case, the information providing unit 404 of the management server 101 provides information about the "XX station" to the chat room where the user 1 and the user 2 have a chat.

Preferably, at this time, the information providing unit 404 is not only a character string that exactly matches. It is desirable to extract highly relevant character strings.

At this time, FIG. 12 shows an example of a chat screen displayed on the information terminal 102 of the user 1. In the example of FIG. 12, the name 1201 of "XX station" is displayed on the chat screen 1101. Preferably, the chat screen 1101 also displays information such as an image 1202 of topics related to "XX station" and an explanation 1203. Information on topics related to "XX station" shall be acquired by the information providing unit 404 from the Web.

Even in this case, since both the user 1 and the user 2 are considered to have some relation to the "XX station", the effect of providing a common topic or a related topic between the user 1 and the user 2 can be expected. ..

It should be noted that the use of explanatory information 504 and field of interest 505 as information common to or related to the account information of the first account and the account information of the second account is only an example, and the account information 408. Other information contained in may be used.

[Third Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the information providing unit 404 provides the information of the third account in which the association between the first account and the second account is registered as the information related to the first account and the second account. An example of the case is explained. However, in reality, it is possible that there is no account in which the association is registered between the first account and the second account.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the information providing unit 404 provides information related to the third account included in the social graph of the first account and the social graph of the second account.

<Functional configuration diagram>
FIG. 13 is a functional configuration diagram of the information processing system according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 13, the management server 101 has a social graph creation unit 1301 in addition to the configuration of the management server 101 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Since the other configuration of the information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the difference will be mainly described here.

The social graph creation unit 1301 creates a social graph showing the connection relationship (personal network relationship) between accounts. The social graph creation unit 1301 creates a social graph with a distance of N (N is an integer of 2 or more) or less from a predetermined account, for example, based on the registration information 601 of the relationship registration information 409 shown in FIG.

Here, the social graph is a graph showing the personal connections between accounts, in which each account is a node and the accounts registered to be associated with each other are links. The link is also referred to as a "path", an "edge", or the like. Further, the distance indicates the minimum number of links required from a predetermined node to a target node.

For example, if the relationship between the accounts registered in the relationship registration information 409 is a friend of a friend and the above-mentioned value of N is "2", the social graph of the first account shows the "friend of a friend" of the first account. In addition to "N = 1)", "Friend of a friend (N = 2)" of the first account is also included.

<Details of processing>
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a flow of information providing processing according to the third embodiment.

In step S1401, the relationship registration management unit 403 of the management server 101, for example, registers the association between the first account and the second account in response to a request from the first account and the second account.

In step S1402, the information providing unit 404 of the management server 101 determines whether or not a message has been sent / received (chat) between the first account and the second account. If it is determined in step S1402 that a chat has been performed between the first account and the second account, the information providing unit 404 ends the process. On the other hand, when it is determined that the chat is not being performed between the first account and the second account, the information providing unit 404 shifts the process to step S1403.

When the process proceeds to step S1403, the information providing unit 404 uses, for example, the RTC unit 208 of FIG. 2 to register the association between the first account and the second account for a predetermined period (for example, 1). Determine if the week) has passed. If it is determined in step S1403 that the predetermined period has not elapsed, the information providing unit 404 returns the process to step S1402, and repeats the process of step S1402 until the predetermined period elapses. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1403 that the predetermined period has elapsed, the information providing unit 404 shifts the process to step S1404.

As described in FIG. 8, the execution order of the above steps S1402 and S1403 may be reversed. That is, step S1403 may be executed before step S1402.

When the process proceeds to step S1404, the information providing unit 404 refers to information such as the registration date and time 602 of the relationship registration information 409, and the bidirectional relationship between the first account and the second account is within a predetermined time (for example,). Determine if it was built within an hour). If it is determined in step S1404 that the bidirectional relationship has not been established within a predetermined time, the relationship registration information 409 ends the process. On the other hand, when it is determined that the bidirectional relationship has been established within a predetermined time, the relationship registration information 409 shifts the process to step S1405.

When the process proceeds to step S1405, the information providing unit 404 determines, for example, whether or not the first account and the second account are included in the same age group by referring to the information of the age 507 of the account information 408. If it is determined in step S1405 that the information is not included in the same age group, the information providing unit 404 ends the process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the information is included in the same age group, the information providing unit 404 shifts the process to step S1406.

When the process proceeds to step S1406, the social graph creation unit 1301 of the management server 101 creates a social graph with a distance of N or less (for example, a distance of 3 or less) from each account for each of the first account and the second account.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a social graph according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 shows an example of a social graph centered on user 1 (first account) and having a distance of 3 or less (the number of links is 3 or less).

In this way, the social graph creation unit 1301 creates a first social graph showing the personal connections of the first account and a second social graph showing the personal connections of the second account based on the preset distance N. To do. At this time, the social graph creation unit 1301 excludes the link between the first account and the second account in order to distinguish between the personal connections of the first account and the personal connections of the second account, and is social. It is desirable to create a graph.

Returning to FIG. 14, the description of the flowchart will be continued.

In step S1407, the social graph creation unit 1301 excludes an account for which the option of the function (a function in which information of its own account is provided to a chat room between other accounts) is disabled from the created social graph. To do. This prevents the user's information from being provided to the chat room between other accounts, contrary to the user's intention.

In step S1408, it is desirable that the social graph creation unit 1301 exclude accounts of different age groups from the created social graph. This is because it is generally considered difficult to establish communication between different age groups.

In step S1409, the social graph creation unit 1301 updates the social graphs of the first account and the second account by accounts other than the accounts excluded in steps S1407 and S1408.

In step S1410, the information providing unit 404 selects the third account that minimizes the distance from both the first account and the first account.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the distance between users according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 16A is a diagram in which other users (accounts) are classified according to the distance from the user 1 (first account) based on the social graph shown in FIG. 14 as an example. For example, in FIG. 16A, it is shown that the users whose distance from the user 1 is "1" are four users, user 11, user 5, user 7, and user 8. The same applies when the distance from the user 1 is "2" and "3".

By the same method as in FIG. 16A, it is possible to create a diagram in which other users (accounts) are classified according to the distance from the user 2 (second account) for the second account. FIG. 16B is an example of a diagram in which other users are classified according to the distance from the user 2.

In the example of FIG. 16, user 3 and user 12 are included in both FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b). Further, since the distance from user 1 to user 3 is "2" and the distance from user 2 to user 3 is "2", the total distance is "4". On the other hand, the distance from user 1 to user 12 is "3", and the distance from user 2 to user 12 is "2", so the total distance is "5".

Therefore, in the example of FIG. 16, the information providing unit 404 can select the user 3 whose distance from both the first account and the second account is the minimum as the third account.

Returning to FIG. 14, the description of the flowchart will be continued.

In step S1411, the information providing unit 404 determines whether or not the account selected in step S1410 is one. If it is determined in step S1411 that the number of selected accounts is one, the information providing unit 404 shifts the process to step S1413. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of selected accounts is not one, the information providing unit 404 shifts the process to step S1412.

When the process proceeds to step S1412, the information providing unit 404 selects, for example, the account having the largest number of messages sent / received from the first account and the second account within a predetermined period among the selected plurality of accounts as the third account. Select as.

For example, the information providing unit 404 obtains the number of chats sent / received from the first account and the number of chats sent / received from the second account for each of the plurality of accounts based on the log information 410. Further, the total is the number of messages sent and received between the first account and the second account by each of the plurality of accounts. As a result, the information providing unit 404 can identify the account having the largest number of messages sent / received to / from the first account and the second account from the plurality of selected accounts.

The method of selecting one third account from the plurality of selected accounts may be another method.

For example, the information providing unit 404 may randomly select one account from a plurality of accounts. Alternatively, the information providing unit 404 may select an account corresponding to an area closer to the area 506 of the user 1 and the user 2 based on the information of the area 806 of the account information 408 shown in FIG. Further, the information providing unit 404 may select the account most recently accessed by the user 1 and the user 2 based on the log information 410 shown in FIG. 7.

Returning to FIG. 14, the description of the flowchart will be further continued.

In step S1413, the chat service providing unit 405 of the management server 101 creates chat rooms in the information terminal 102 of the first account and the information terminal 102 of the second account, and adds them to the same communication session.

In step S1414, the information providing unit 404 causes the chat room for chatting between the first account and the second account to display information (for example, a profile picture) regarding the third account. At this time, FIG. 17 shows an example of a display screen displayed on the information terminal 102 of the first account.

As shown in FIG. 17A, the chat screen (an example of a chat room) 1701 according to the present embodiment shows the profile image 1702 of the user 3 selected as the third account in step S1410 of FIG. 14 and the name 1703. Etc. are displayed based on, for example, the account information 408.

As described above, in the present embodiment, even if there is no account in which the direct association is registered in the first account and the second account, the third account related to the first account and the second account is related based on the social graph. Can provide account information for.

Further, as a preferable example, in FIG. 17A, the link information 1704 for inviting the user 3 to the chat room is displayed in the chat room (chat screen 1701) between the first account and the second account. ing.

For example, the user 1 can invite the user 3 to a chat room in which the user 1 and the user 2 participate by selecting the link information 1704. Similar link information is also displayed on the chat screen of the information terminal 102 of the user 2, and the user 2 can also invite the user 3 to the chat room.

For example, in FIG. 17A, when the user 1 selects the link information 1704, the link information 1704 changes to the information 1705 indicating that the user 3 is being invited, as shown in FIG. 17B.

In addition, the chat service providing unit 405 of the management server 101 notifies the information terminal 102 of the user 3 indicating that the user 1 and the user 2 have been invited from the chat room. By performing an operation to the effect that the user 3 joins the chat room in response to this notification, the user 3 can join the chat room of the user 1 and the user 2.

For example, when the user 3 performs an operation to join the chat room of the user 1 and the user 2, the chat service providing unit 405 creates a chat room in the information terminal of the user 3 and is the same as the user 1 and the user 2. Add to communication session. As a result, a chat can be performed between the user 1, the user 2, and the user 3. At this time, FIG. 18 shows an example of a display screen displayed on the information terminal 102 of the user 1.

In the example of FIG. 18, information 1801 indicating that the user 3 has joined the chat room is displayed on the chat screen 1701. Further, the message 1802 written by the user 3 is displayed on the chat screen 1701.

On the other hand, for example, when the user 1 inputs a message in the message input field 1803 and selects the send button 1804, the input message 1805 is displayed on the chat screen 1701. Further, the input message is transferred to the information terminal 102 of the user 2 and the information terminal 102 of the user 3 by the chat service providing unit 405 of the management server 101, and is displayed on each chat screen.

Similarly, the message input by the user 2 is displayed on the chat screen 1701 of the information terminal 102 of the user 1 and the chat screen of the information terminal 102 of the user 3.

In this way, by inviting the user 3 related to the user 1 and the user 2 to the chat room of the user 1 and the user 2, the communication between the user 1 and the user 2 can be further promoted. ..

The present invention is not limited to each of the above-described embodiments specifically disclosed, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of claims.

For example, it is also possible to use each of the above embodiments in combination.

For example, the link information 1704 described in the third embodiment can be displayed on the chat screen 1005 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 10B.

Further, in the third embodiment, the account displayed on the chat screen 1701 may be an official account as in the first embodiment.

Further, the information commonly included in the account information of the first account and the account information of the second account described in the second embodiment is the information in the first embodiment or the third embodiment. , It may be displayed together with the information of the third account.

Further, the information providing unit 404 provides information related to the first account and the second account to the chat room between the first account and the second account based on the log information 410. It may be a thing. For example, the information providing unit 404 provides information on the first account and the second account and the third account having a higher number of chats to the chat room between the first account and the second account. It may be. Alternatively, even if the information of the first account and the third account that has chatted with the second account more recently is provided to the chat room between the first account and the second account. good.
Further, the information providing unit 404 provides information related to the first account and the second account to the first account and the first account based on the information such as the registration date and time 602 and the registration place 603 of the related registration information 409. It may be provided in the chat room between the two accounts. For example, the information providing unit 404 displays the information of the first account and the second account, the information of the third account for which the association is registered at the registration place 603 closer and the registration date and time 602, to the first account and the second account. It may be provided in the chat room between.

100 Information processing system 101 Management server (information processing device)
102 Information terminal 402 Account information management department 403 Related registration management department (registration management department)
404 Information provision department 406 Log information management department 905, 1101, 1701 Chat screen (an example of a chat room)
1301 Social graph creation department (graph creation department)

Claims (21)

A server that sends information displayed in a chat room that includes the first user of the first account and the second user of the second account.
A storage unit that stores the first account and the second account in association with each other and stores information on the date in which the first account and the second account are associated with each other.
A communication unit that transmits related information related to the first account and the second account to the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user based on the information of the date stored in the storage unit. With and
Information based on the related information is included in the chat room displayed on the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user. The server according to claim 1.
The first account and the second account are SNS service accounts. The server according to claim 2.
The association between the first account and the second account is a friendship in the SNS service. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
After the related information is received by the terminal of the first user, the communication unit receives the message transmitted from the terminal of the first user and transmits the message to the terminal of the second user. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The related information includes information common to the first user and the second user. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The related information includes information on the first user or information on an image based on the information on the second user. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The chat room is displayed on the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user by an application stored in the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user. A program executed by a server that sends information displayed in a chat room that includes the first user of the first account and the second user of the second account.
To associate the first account with the second account and store them in the storage unit of the server.
To store the information of the date associated with the first account and the second account in the storage unit, and
Communication of the server with the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user with the related information related to the first account and the second account based on the information of the date stored in the storage unit. Sending by the department is executed by the server,
Information based on the related information is included in the chat room displayed on the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user. The program according to claim 8.
The first account and the second account are SNS service accounts. The program according to claim 9.
The association between the first account and the second account is a friendship in the SNS service. The program according to any one of claims 8 to 10.
After the related information is received by the terminal of the first user, the message transmitted from the terminal of the first user is received by the communication unit, and the message is transmitted to the terminal of the second user by the communication unit. Is executed by the server. The program according to any one of claims 8 to 11.
The related information includes information common to the first user and the second user. The program according to any one of claims 8 to 12.
The related information includes information on the first user or information on an image based on the information on the second user. The program according to any one of claims 8 to 13.
The chat room is displayed on the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user by an application stored in the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user. It is an information processing method of a server that transmits information displayed in a chat room including a first user of the first account and a second user of the second account.
To associate the first account with the second account and store them in the storage unit of the server.
To store the information of the date associated with the first account and the second account in the storage unit, and
Communication of the server to the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user with related information related to the first account and the second account based on the information of the date stored in the storage unit. Including sending by department
Information based on the related information is included in the chat room displayed on the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user. The information processing method according to claim 15.
The first account and the second account are SNS service accounts. The information processing method according to claim 16.
The association between the first account and the second account is a friendship in the SNS service. The information processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 17.
After the related information is received by the terminal of the first user, the message transmitted from the terminal of the first user is received by the communication unit, and the message is transmitted to the terminal of the second user by the communication unit. Including to do. The information processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 18.
The related information includes information common to the first user and the second user. The information processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 19.
The related information includes information on the first user or information on an image based on the information on the second user. The information processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 20.
The chat room is displayed on the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user by an application stored in the terminal of the first user and the terminal of the second user.

Images