JP7171854B2 - program, method, terminal - Google Patents

Description

The present invention broadly relates to a device or the like that executes a computer program (BOT) that performs work on behalf of a human, and more specifically to a device, method, system, or the like for controlling and managing the BOT.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, computer programs (BOT) that operate on computers or on-line networks to perform tasks on behalf of humans have become widespread, and various ideas related to BOT have been made.

As an example, a virtual (virtual) online robot (BOT) or security agent has been provided (Patent Document 1).

That is, US Pat. No. 5,300,001 discloses that online conversations can be monitored and meet certain definable criteria to indicate that the content of the conversations is inappropriate or, in some cases, potentially harmful or dangerous. A BOT, also called a "guardian", is disclosed that acts to intervene when The guardian is configured to utilize natural language processing techniques to evaluate the context of the conversation over its span and/or to evaluate conversations between individual users. Guardian, through the use of natural language processing techniques, can present notifications or alerts to individual users or others when a particular conversation or part thereof is determined to be problematic.

Also provided is a system for managing the use of BOTs by computer network users (US Pat.

That is, Patent Document 2 discloses a method for managing the use of a computer service by a computer user by causing a computer to execute the method, which includes one or more computer services.
receiving, at a network device associated with a user, a request from a real computer user associated with the network device; and identifying a virtual user other than the one or more computer users, wherein generating information associated with the virtual user; and using the information associated with the virtual user to direct communications from the network device for the real computer user who provided the request. wherein the communication is identified as originating from said virtual user, and sending said computer service to said real computer user who provided said communication and said request and at the network device,
receiving a communication about the virtual user originating from the computer service, the receiving step of transmitting the communication to the real computer user who provided the request; disclosed.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-509679 JP 2015-149082 A

However, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for judging or monitoring whether or not the content of an online conversation monitored by a guardian (BOT) is appropriate. is not. Patent document 2 discloses a technique for managing the use of public BOT by private computer network users. not trying to.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a program executed by a terminal displays, on a display unit, content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate; Based on the first content associated with the first account or the second content associated with the second account, a third account associated with the first function that is different from both the first account and the second account Displaying a first object representing the account on the display, and displaying a second object on the display based on the selection of the first object.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method performed by a terminal comprises displaying on a display content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate; Based on the first content associated with the first account or the second content associated with the second account, a third account associated with the first function that is different from both the first account and the second account Displaying a first object representing the account on the display, and displaying a second object on the display based on the selection of the first object.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a terminal comprises a display for displaying content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate, the terminal being associated with the first account. a first object indicating a third account associated with the first function, which is different from the first account and the second account based on the first content or the second content associated with the second account; is displayed on the display unit, and the second object is displayed on the display unit based on the selection of the first object.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the BOT control management method etc. which actively support the conversation between users via BOT and develop the conversation itself between users can be provided.

It is an explanatory view explaining the whole system composition concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is an explanatory view explaining an example of composition of a system thru/or an apparatus showing a variation of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of basic operation in the system or device according to one embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing an operation example in the system etc. according to one embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flow chart showing an operation example in the system etc. according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating processing and data flow between devices or terminals in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing an operation example in the system etc. according to one embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flow chart showing an operation example in the system etc. according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example on a device or terminal in a system or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention;

<Observance of Confidentiality of Communications>
It should be noted that the implementation of the disclosure contained herein is subject to legal requirements relating to the secrecy of communications.

An embodiment for implementing a BOT control management system etc. according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a BOT control management system in one embodiment of the present disclosure.
As shown in FIG. 1, in a communication system, one or more servers (server 110, server 120) and one or more terminals (terminals 151, 152, 153) are connected via a network 199.
is connected. The servers 110 and 120 provide the terminals 151 to 153 owned by the users with a service for transmitting and receiving messages between the terminals via the network 199 . Note that the number of terminals connected to the network 199 is not limited. Also, the number of servers is not limited (servers can be added to extend the functions as necessary, and the service may be provided by one server).

As shown in FIG. 1, network 199 serves to connect one or more servers and one or more terminals. That is, the network 199 is configured such that the terminals 151 to 153 are connected to the server 11
It means a communication network that provides a connection path so that data can be sent and received after connecting to 0 to 120.

For example, one or more portions of network 199 may be a wired network or a wireless network. Network 199 is an ad hoc network (ad
hoc network), intranet, extranet, virtual private network (VPN), local area network
LAN), wireless LAN (WLAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless WAN (WWAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), part of the Internet, Part of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), mobile phone network,
ISDNs (integrated service digital networks), wireless LANs, LTE (long te
rm evolution) CDMA (code division multiple access), Bluetooth
th(R)), satellite communications, etc., or a combination of two or more of these. However, in the present disclosure, network 199 is not limited to these. Network 199 may also include one or more networks.

The terminal (terminal 151, terminal 152, terminal 153) may be any information processing terminal capable of realizing the functions described in each embodiment. The terminals 151 to 153 are typically smart phones, and also mobile phones (for example, feature phones).
, computers (e.g., desktops, laptops, tablets, etc.), media computer platforms (e.g., cable, satellite set-top boxes, digital video recorders), handheld computing devices (e.g., personal digit
assistant, email client, etc.), wearable devices (glasses, watch, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms. However, in the present disclosure, the terminals 151-153 are not limited to these. Also, the terminals 151 to 153 may be expressed as information processing terminals.

Since the configurations of the terminals 151 to 153 are basically the same, the terminal 151 will be described as a representative in the following description.
is described as another terminal. As for the servers 110 and 120, the server 110 will be described as a representative.

The server 110 has a function of providing a predetermined service to the terminal 151 and the like. The server 110 may be any information processing device capable of realizing the functions described in each embodiment. Server 110 is typically a server device, and also a computer (e.g., desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), media computer platform (e.g., cable, satellite set-top box, digital video recorder), handheld computing device (e.g., e.g., PDA, email client, etc.), or any other type of computer or communication platform. However, in the present disclosure, server 110 is not limited to these. Also, the server 110 may be expressed as an information processing device.

<Hardware (HW) configuration>
The HW configuration of each device included in the communication system will be described with reference to FIG.

(1) Terminal hardware configuration

The terminal 151 includes a control device 1510 (CPU: central processing unit (central processing unit)), a storage device 1515, a communication I/F 1516 (interface), an input/output device 1517
, a display device 1518, a microphone 1519a, a speaker 1519b, and a camera 1519c. Each component of the HW of the terminal 151 is interconnected via, for example, a bus B2.

A communication I/F 1516 transmits and receives various data via the network 199 . The communication may be performed by wire or wirelessly, and if mutual communication can be performed,
Any communication protocol may be used. Communication I/F 1516 is network 199
It has a function of executing communication with the server 110 via. Communication I/F 1516 transmits various data to server 110 according to instructions from control device 1510 . Also, communication I
The /F 1516 receives various data transmitted from the server 110 and transmits the data to the control device 1510 .

The input/output device 1517 is a device for inputting various operations to the terminal 151 and the terminal 1
It includes a device for outputting the processing results processed in 51 . The input/output device 1517 may be an integrated input device and an output device, or may be separated into an input device and an output device (in the latter case, for example, an input device 1517a such as a touch panel input sensor may be used). and an output device 1517b such as a touch panel output device or a vibration driving mechanism).

The input device receives an input from the user, and transmits information related to the input to the control device 1510 .
by any one or a combination of all kinds of devices capable of communicating to The input device is typically implemented by a touch panel or the like, detects contact with a pointing tool such as a user's finger or a stylus, and the contact position, and transmits the coordinates of the contact position to the control device 1510 . On the other hand, the input device may be realized by an input device other than the touch panel. The input device includes, for example, hardware keys typified by a keyboard, etc., a pointing device such as a mouse, a camera (operation input via moving images), and a microphone (operation input by voice). However, in the present disclosure, the input device is not limited to these.

The output device is implemented by any one or a combination of all kinds of devices capable of outputting processing results processed by the control device 1510 . The output device is typically
It is realized by a touch panel or the like. On the other hand, the output device may be implemented by an output device other than the touch panel. For example, speakers (audio output), lenses (e.g. 3D (three dim
tensions) output, hologram output), printers, and the like. However, in the present disclosure, the output device is not limited to these.

Display device 1518 may be implemented by any or a combination of all types of devices capable of displaying according to display data written to a frame buffer (not shown). The display device 1518 is typically a monitor (for example, a liquid crystal display or an OELD (orga
nic electroluminescence display)). The display device 1518 may be a head mounted display (HDM). Moreover, the display device 1
518 may be implemented by projection mapping, holograms, devices capable of displaying images, text information, etc. in the air (or even in a vacuum). Note that these display devices 1518 may be capable of displaying display data in 3D. However, in this disclosure, the display device 1518 is not limited to these.

When the input/output device 1517 is a touch panel, as an example, the input/output device 1517 and the display device 1518 may be configured to have approximately the same size and shape, and may be arranged facing each other.

Controller 1510 comprises circuitry physically structured to perform functions implemented by code or instructions contained within a program, for example implemented by a data processing device embedded in hardware. .

The controller 1510 is typically a central processing unit (CPU), and may also be a microprocessor, processor core, multiprocessor, ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), FPG.
It may be A (field programmable gate array). However, in the present disclosure, the control device 1510 is not limited to these.

The storage device 1515 has a function of storing various programs and various data required for the terminal 151 to operate. The storage device 1515 is an HDD (hard disk drive), SS
D (solid state drive), flash memory, RAM (random access memory), RO
It is realized by various storage media such as M (read only memory). However, in the present disclosure, the storage device 1515 is not limited to these.

The terminal 151 stores the program P in the storage device 1515 , and executes the program P so that the control device 1510 executes processing as each unit included in the control device 1510 . In other words, the program P stored in the storage device 1515 is transferred to the terminal 151 by the control device 1
Each function performed by 510 is implemented.

Microphone 1519a is used to input voice data. Speaker 1519b is used to output audio data. Camera 1519c is used to acquire moving image data.

(2) Server hardware configuration
The server 110 includes a control device 1110 (CPU), a storage device 1105, an input/output device 110
6, a display 1107 and a communication I/F 1108 (interface). server 1
Each component of the 10 HWs is interconnected, for example, via a bus B1.

Controller 1110 comprises circuitry physically structured to perform functions implemented by code or instructions contained within a program, for example implemented by a data processor embedded in hardware. .

Controller 1110 is typically a central processing unit (CPU), but may alternatively be a microprocessor, processor core, multiprocessor, ASIC, or FPGA.
However, in the present disclosure, the control device 1110 is not limited to these.

The storage device 1105 has a function of storing various programs and various data required for server operation. The storage device 1105 is realized by various storage media such as HDD, SSD, and flash memory. However, in the present disclosure, the storage device 1105 is not limited to these.

The input/output device 1106 is realized by a device for inputting various operations to the server 110 . The input/output device 1106 is realized by any one or a combination of all kinds of devices capable of receiving input from a user and transmitting information related to the input to the control device 1110 . The input/output device 1106 is implemented by hardware keys typically represented by a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse. Note that the input/output device 1106 may include, for example, a touch panel, a camera (operation input via moving images), and a microphone (operation input by voice). However, in the present disclosure, the input/output device 1106 is not limited to these.

The display 1107 is typically a monitor (for example, a liquid crystal display or an OELD (orga
nic electroluminescence display)). Note that the display 1107
A head mounted display (HDM) or the like may be used. Note that these displays 1107 may be capable of displaying display data in 3D. However, in the present disclosure, the display 1107 is not limited to these.

A communication I/F 1108 transmits and receives various data via the network 199 . The communication may be performed by wire or wirelessly, and if mutual communication can be performed,
Any communication protocol may be used. Communication I/F 1108 connects to network 199
It has a function of executing communication with the terminal 151 via. Communication I/F 1108 transmits various data to terminal 151 according to instructions from control device 1110 . Also, communication I/F
1108 receives various data transmitted from the terminal 151 and transmits the data to the control device 1110 .
The server 110 stores the program P in the storage device 1105 , and executes the program P so that the control device 1110 executes processing as each unit included in the control device 1110 . In other words, the program P stored in the storage device 1105 causes the server 110 to implement each function executed by the control device 1110 .

In each embodiment of the present invention, the CPU of the terminal 151 or the like and/or the server 110 or the like
is realized by executing the program P.

Note that the control device 1510 of the terminal 151 and/or the control device 11 of the server 110
10 is not only a CPU, but also an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (La
Each process may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) or a dedicated circuit formed in a rge scale integration) or the like. Moreover, these circuits may be realized by one or more integrated circuits, and a plurality of processes shown in each embodiment may be realized by one integrated circuit. In addition, LSI is divided into VLSI, Super LSI, Ultra L, etc. depending on the degree of integration.
It is sometimes called SI.

Also, the program P (software program/computer program) of each embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can store the program in a "non-temporary tangible medium".

The storage medium may, where appropriate, be one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (IC
) (such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or application specific ICs (ASIC)), hard disk drives (HDD), hybrid
Hard drive (HHD), optical disk, optical disk drive (ODD), magneto-optical disk, magneto-optical drive, floppy diskette, floppy disk drive (
FDD), magnetic tape, solid state drive (SSD), RAM drive, secure digital card or drive, any other suitable storage medium, or any suitable combination of two or more thereof. Storage media may, where appropriate, be volatile, nonvolatile, or a combination of volatile and nonvolatile. Note that the storage medium is not limited to these examples, and any device or medium that can store the program P may be used.

The server 110 and/or the terminal 151 can realize the functions of the functional units shown in each embodiment by, for example, reading the program P stored in the storage medium and executing the read program P.

Also, the program P according to one embodiment of the present invention may be provided to the server # or the terminal # via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. The server 110 and/or the terminal 151 implements the functions of the functional units shown in each embodiment by executing the program P downloaded via the Internet or the like, for example.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be embodied in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which program P is embodied by electronic transmission.
At least part of the processing in server 100 and/or terminal 151 may be implemented by cloud computing configured by one or more computers.
At least part of the processing in the terminal 151 may be configured to be performed by the server 100 . In this case, for example, the server 100 may perform at least a part of the processing of each functional unit of the control device 1510 of the terminal 151 .
At least part of the processing in the server 100 may be configured to be performed by the terminal 151 . In this case, for example, the terminal 151 may perform at least part of the processing of each functional unit of the control device 1110 of the server 100 .
In the present disclosure, the determination configuration is not essential, and it is natural that predetermined processing may be performed when the determination condition is satisfied, or predetermined processing may be performed when the determination condition is not satisfied.

The program of the present disclosure can be implemented using, for example, script languages such as ActionScript and JavaScript (registered trademark), object-oriented programming languages such as Objective-C and Java (registered trademark), markup languages such as HTML5, and the like. . However, the present disclosure is not limited to these.

<Variation of system configuration>
FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of a system or device showing variations of the embodiment of the present invention. The characteristic processing operations in the configuration shown in the figure (and FIG. 3) are realized not only by the cooperative operation of the present invention with servers and terminals via a network, but can also be realized on a single terminal. It is a point.

As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing system 200 includes, as its minimum configuration, an information processing server 210 and various information processing terminals (in the figure, a PC is exemplified) used by the players.
220 and 230, mobile phone 240, personal digital assistant or tablet terminal 250-252
It is shown. 2, between the server and various terminals are dedicated lines and public lines such as the Internet (wired lines such as 260, 270, 280, 290) are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other. In addition, the line may be wired or wireless. In the case of wireless, the mobile phone 240 and the mobile information terminal or tablet terminal 250 wirelessly connect to the Internet 290 via a base station, wireless router, or the like (not shown). Furthermore, it is connected to the information processing server 210 via a line 280 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

Mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and tablets are personal computers (PCs).
Many of them have processing capabilities (communication processing speed, image processing capability, etc.) comparable to , and should be called small computers.

Programs or software necessary for carrying out the present invention are usually installed or stored in the HDD or SSD in the storage section of a PC or portable information terminal. All or part of it is read out as a software module, and arithmetically executed by the CPU.

It should be noted that the execution of arithmetic operations need not necessarily be performed by a central processing unit such as a CPU, and an auxiliary arithmetic unit such as a digital signal processor (DSP) (not shown) can be used.

Also, the hardware configuration of the information processing server 210 can basically adopt a PC. In addition, although the present invention is not limited to this, the information processing server 210 has a plurality of PCs (for example, several tens to tens of thousands of PCs) in parallel in order to improve its hardware specifications as necessary. A configuration suitable for large-scale data processing can also be adopted by operating the system systematically.

<Basic variations of service provision form>
FIG. 3 shows an example of basic operation in the system or device according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. What I would particularly like to point out here is that the present invention can be realized by cooperation with a server or terminal via a network, or independently on a terminal itself.

3, "user terminals" correspond to terminals 151 to 153 in FIG. 1 and terminals 220, 230, 240, 250 to 252 in FIG. 2, and "information processing servers" correspond to servers 110, 120, It corresponds to the information processing server 210 in FIG. Also, Figure 3
t1 to t10 show a time-series flow, and operations and processes described later are performed over time.
Note that the operations or processing times (t1, etc.) exemplified in the embodiments are exemplified for easy understanding of the concept of the present invention. is not limited to

First, at date and time t1, a user (player) downloads application software from an information processing server via a user terminal to operate the own user terminal as an information processing terminal according to the present invention (step S301). This application software is client software or application software for processing part or all of the program according to the present invention. Then, the downloaded application software is installed in the user terminal (step S302). At this time, at time t2, the user terminal uploads the user's own e-mail address and profile information as shown in the following table to the information processing server (step S303) as user registration as necessary, and registers and manages them. can also be performed (step S304).

The above data items are stored as user data in the storage device on the information processing server (
step S305). After time t3, the user (player) can start the application by operating the information processing terminal (the server can start providing services to the terminal).

Next, the user who has downloaded and installed the application on the user terminal activates the application software at time t4 (step S306). From time t4 to time t5, the user is illustratively enjoying the service provided by the information processing terminal.

At time t5, the user temporarily suspends or terminates the application software according to one embodiment of the present invention. At this time, if necessary, the status information of the application is transferred to the information processing server (step S307). S309). In FIG. 3, these processes are completed by time t6.

After the application software according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed in the information processing terminal, it is of course possible to make it completely closed and executable on the terminal. In this case, the above-mentioned step S304 to step S305 and step S308 to step S309 can be omitted, and if necessary information is stored and managed in the memory on the terminal.

Next, in FIG. 3, from time t7 to time t10, an embodiment example in which at least part of the application software according to one embodiment of the present invention is implemented in the information processing server is shown. In this case, the user (player) performs two typical user terminal operations, login operation and command transmission, to receive necessary data transmission from the information processing server or receive service provision.

For example, in FIG. 3, when the user performs login processing to the server via his/her information processing terminal at time t7 (step S310), the information processing server appropriately performs necessary authentication processing (step S311). At t8, the user transmits data for receiving service provision (step S312). For example, it is a top menu screen configured to be able to receive a command from a terminal, an application startup screen, or the like.
At time t9, the user transmits some command via the information processing terminal (step S313). This command can be a menu selection displayed on the menu screen,
If it is an application startup screen, it may be a start command for starting an application. The server receives this command and starts service processing (step S314). Then, at time t10, the server provides a service according to the terminal's request (step S315).

Although not shown in FIG. 3, even after time t10, commands can be transmitted from the terminal at any time (for example, a message transmission command, a menu selection command, etc.), and the server receives commands from the terminal each time. It is possible to receive and provide services (for example, transfer the received message to another terminal, analyze the message and return the result, etc.).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the user (player) can also send a message from the user terminal to a specific party or a specific number of parties (not shown in FIG. 3). This message is relayed by the information processing server, transferred to a specific partner or a specific number of partners, and received by the partner. You can also check sent messages on your device.
In particular, these message processes are realized by a functional configuration, which will be described later, implemented in a server or a terminal.

<Functional configuration>
(1) Functional Configuration of Terminal In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG.
, and a talk participation unit 1511 and a message processing unit 1512 as functions realized by the programs and data stored in the storage device 1515 .
The talk participation unit 1511 has a function of performing processing for participation in a desired talk room. You can participate in the talk room on an individual basis, and you can also participate on a group basis.
Note that the BOT servers (servers 110 and 120 as an example) can also participate in the talk room in the same way as individual users by providing each function illustrated with reference to the terminal 151 (at this time, one user BOTs are given one account of an instant messenger service, just like a human user).
You can also create a new talk room. By sending (speaking) a message while participating in the talk room, other participant terminals 2 participating in the same talk room and/or BOT servers (participating in the talk room) A message is sent to the BOT as one user who is

The message processing unit 1512 has a function of generating a message in a talk room, transmitting/receiving a message, and performing processing such as display control of the transmitted/received message on its own terminal. A typical and basic example of message processing and display control is to display incoming messages on the left side and outgoing messages on the right side with respect to the time axis running from top to bottom.

The display processing unit 1513 displays the message data processed by the message processing 1512 on the display device 1518 . The display processing unit 1513 has a function of converting display data (eg, character code) into pixel information (eg, fonts, pictograms, etc.) and writing it to a frame buffer (not shown) of the display device 1518 .

(2) Server functional configuration
In one embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG.
0, and the functions realized by the programs and data stored in the storage device 1105 are a talk room management unit 1111, a message processing unit 1112, and a billing information management unit 11.
13, a billing processing unit 1114, a statistical processing unit 1115, and a BOT processing unit 1116.

The talk room management unit 1111 has a function of managing participants in the talk room.
When the message processing unit 1112 receives a message transmitted in a specific talk room from the terminal 151, the message processing unit 1112 receives other participant terminals (for example, terminals 152 and 15) as destinations.
3) and/or have the ability to send (forward) the message to a BOT server (eg, server 120).

The billing information management unit 1113 performs calculation processing and management for, for example, user (including BOT) account billing in response to provision of billing target messages and the like (described later).

The billing processing unit 1114 performs billing processing for each user (including BOT) account, for example, based on the billing information processed and managed by the billing information management unit 1113 .

The statistical processing unit 1115 performs statistical processing from various viewpoints based on the data processed by the billing information processing unit 1113 and/or the billing processing unit 1114, and stores and manages the data.

The BOT processing unit 1116 performs processing for work, judgment, advice, etc. on behalf of the user (human). More specifically, but not limited to, the retrieval unit 1116a for retrieving appropriate data, language for processing language (including spoken language) included in sent and received messages. A processing unit 1116b, an AI processing unit 1116c that judges the meaning and value of the processed language and learns based on the success or failure of the judgment result, an AI processing unit 1116c that analyzes a given image, and an object that has been moved. Image processing unit 1116 that performs recognition processing, etc.
d and other processing modules are included.

As described above, the BOT server (servers 110 and 120 as an example) can also exhibit the same functions as individual users by providing each function illustrated with reference to terminal 151 (at this time, 1 A BOT as a user, like a human user, has:
1 account of the instant messenger service is granted). The assistant BOT operated by the BOT server and the human user can establish a predetermined relationship with each other by making friends (linking accounts together), etc., in the same way as human users do. (Such predetermined relationships are appropriately described and managed in a database or relationship table (not shown)).

<First embodiment>
In the first embodiment, a user participating in a talk room operated by a server or the like (as an example, a "talk server" described later) can send and receive messages via a terminal and interact with his/her assistant (BOT). , the basic operation flow of the talk server, and the BO who participates in the talk room as one user (one account)
It describes the basic operation of the T-server (described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5).
It should be noted that part or all of the content described in the first embodiment can also be applied to other embodiments, except when the features are mutually exclusive.

In one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the server providing the messaging service is a talk server (corresponding to server 110 in FIG. 1, etc.). Also, in one embodiment of the present invention, a BOT server that participates in a talk room as one user (one account) in the same way as a user terminal (the server 110 in FIG. 1 corresponds to this).
is introduced.

FIG. 4 is a basic operation flow mainly shown from the point of view of one user.
In step S401 of FIG. 4, when one user (a human user who is not a BOT) enters the talk room by activating an application via the user terminal, the process proceeds to step S402, where the user terminal reads from the talk server or not. Alternatively, the status information such as the talk list and/or the information such as already read messages for operating the application are read from the storage device of the user terminal itself or the like, and are read into the memory in the user terminal.
Note that the talk list is a list of a plurality of talk rooms managed by a talk server. As an example, for a talk room in which a user is a member, the user enters the talk room by means of a selection instruction, etc., and other member users You can have a group talk with A group talk is conducted by members exchanging messages (transmitting and receiving to each other) through a messaging service provided by a talk server.

In FIG. 4, the loop from step S403 to step S411 is a basic operation loop, and unless the application is terminated in step S411 (that is, exiting the chat room), it is possible to continue sending and receiving messages with other members. can. In addition, within the basic movement loop, the user is associated with an assistant BOT (a so-called advisor program with AI functions, and this BOT itself can also participate in the talk room as a user with one account). In this case, this assistant BO
It is possible to have T give advice to the user, or transfer at least a part of the received message from another user to a talk server or the like.
The relationship between the user and the assistant BOT in this case is similar to the relationship between human users.

In step S403, if the user sends a message or the like by an operation (not shown) (Yes), the process advances to step S404, and the message or the like is sent to the talk server (if No in step S403, the process advances to step S405). Although not shown in FIG. 4, the following (1) to (3) are examples of basic operations processed according to the contents of the message or the like transmitted in step S404.

(1) When the user's own message is sent from the user terminal to the talk server The talk server transmits (transfers) the received message to other members in the talk room
At the same time, it extracts one or more BOT candidates related to the received message (that is, capable of responding appropriately to the received message) and returns them to the user who sent the message.
In one embodiment, these BOT candidates are the BOT_ID associated with the BOT and each BOT
A character image representing the OT and/or a message representing that the BOT is speaking is included.

(2) When BOT_ID (described above) is transmitted from the user terminal to the talk server The talk server makes a request to the corresponding BOT (BOT server) based on the designated BOT_ID. In one embodiment, the talk server requests the BOT server for content candidates that the BOT server is currently preparing (that is, can be provided along with the flow of conversation in the talk room at that time). will be
Note that in one embodiment, the BOT_ID may also be sent with the user's message.

(3) When content is sent or specified from the user terminal to the talk server The talk server transmits or specifies content (including image information and links to specific sites, etc.) sent by the user to other users in the group. Send (forward) to a member.

In step S405, if a message or the like for the user is received (Yes),
Proceeding to step S406, the user (or the talk group in which the user participates)
is determined whether there is an assistant BOT (that is, is it linked),
If Yes, the process proceeds to step S407a to select part or all of the message (already received in step S405). Then, in step S407b, assistant B
It is transferred to the talk server via OT, and proceeds to step S408 (if No in step S405, proceeds directly to step S408).
It should be noted that in steps S407a and S407b, how many of the received messages are transferred to the talk server via the assistant BOT is determined by the user's permission setting.

Furthermore, the timing of the transfer is (1) transferring at least part of the message to the talk server each time the message is received, and (2) transferring at least part of the message each time the received message is displayed on the terminal. Variations such as forwarding to a talk server can be applied.

In addition, when transferring at least a part of the received message to the talk server at the above transfer timing, the part of the message and a message not displayed on the terminal are transferred to the talk server together. You can also control it to

In step S408, the received message or the like is displayed on the user terminal.

In step S409, an object display (to be described later) for the user is received (
Yes), the process advances to step S410 to appropriately process how to display the received object on the terminal (described later). Then, the process proceeds to step S411 (if No in step S409, the process proceeds directly to step S411).

In step S411, when an instruction to leave the talk room is given by a user operation (not shown), this flow ends (step S412).

FIG. 5 is a basic operational flow shown primarily from the talk server's perspective.
In step S501 of FIG. 5, when the talk server starts processing, step S50
Proceeding to 2, various status information and the like for managing the talk room are read into the memory within the server.

In FIG. 5, a loop from step S503 to step S511 is a basic operation loop. I have a message.
(There may also be a message with BOT_ID only) or content (including the content itself or a designation message for designating the content).

In step S503, it is determined whether or not a message or the like has been received. If No, the process advances to step S509. If Yes, the process advances to step S504 to check whether the received message or the like contains BOT_ID. be judged. If No in step S504, it means that a message or the like has been received from another user. processing takes place. In one embodiment, this BOT extraction or identification process is accomplished by a query and response from the talk server to the BOT server(s).
Then, in step S508, the BOT candidates extracted or identified in the previous step are transmitted to other users in the talk group, and the process proceeds to step SS509.

On the other hand, if Yes in step S504, typically the received message is (
Since this is a specification for a BOT candidate that has already been presented, the process advances to step S505 to transmit a content or content candidate request to the specified specific BOT (server). Next, when a content candidate is transmitted from a specific BOT (server), the content candidate received in step S506 is transmitted to the user terminal of the message transmission source, and via this user terminal (or this user The above-mentioned content candidates are also transmitted to the terminals of other users (without going through the terminal), and real-time sharing of the content is realized.
Then, the process proceeds to step S509.

At step S509, it is determined whether or not the content itself or a message specifying the content has been received. proceed to step S511). At this time, if the received message is a specified message for content (for example, content information that can be obtained by specifying a URL), the content is acquired by the talk server as necessary and distributed to other members of the group. Send to user. Then, the process proceeds to step S511.

At step S511, it is determined whether or not to end the operation as the talk server, and the operation of the talk server is ended by an operation not shown (Yes at step S511).
If so, the flow advances to step S512 and ends as this flow. However, if No in step S511, the flow returns to step S503.

<Second embodiment>
In the second embodiment, the exchange of messages between a plurality of user terminals (terminals 1 and 2 as an example), a talk server, and a BOT server will be described as an operation scene of the entire system. Description will be made below with reference to FIG.
Part or all of the content described in the second embodiment can also be applied to other embodiments, except when the features are mutually exclusive.
Further, the operations or processing times (t1, etc.) exemplified in the embodiments are exemplified for easy understanding of the concept of the present invention. is not limited to (the same applies hereinafter in the embodiments in which the times are explicitly exemplified).

In one embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 6, at time t0, user 1 connects to terminal 1 (601).
creates a message and transmits it to the talk server 603 . From time t1 to t2, the talk server 603 analyzes the received message and identifies BOTs that can respond to this message.
Perform processing to identify the Although not shown in FIG. 6, in one embodiment, the BOT identification process is implemented by an inquiry process to multiple BOT servers that can be queried from the talk server.

At time t1, talk server 603 sends terminal 1 (601) to terminal 2 (602) of another user (typically, another user participating in the same talk group as the user of terminal 1). Messages received from are forwarded.

At time t1, terminal 2 (604) receives terminal 1 transferred from talk server 603.
(601) receives a message from (601), for example, after being notified of the reception, enters the talk room of terminal 2 and confirms the received message. At this time, it is possible to determine the message to be transferred to the talk server among the messages received from terminal 1 (601) (in one embodiment of the present invention, terminal 2 (604) transfers terminal 1 (601) to the terminal 1 (601) by this determination processing). ), it can be processed as if consent to receive including advice messages from the assistant BOT linked to terminal 1 (601) has been obtained)
.
At time t3, the message decided to be transferred is transmitted (transferred) from terminal 2 (604) to talk server 603. FIG.

During this time, at time t2, talk server 603 finishes analyzing the message received from terminal 1 (601) at time t0, and transmits to terminal 1 (601) BOT candidate data that can correspond to the received message. This BOT candidate data is exemplarily discarded by a user operation described later with reference to FIG. 7A).
The timing of BOT candidate transmission from talk server 603 to terminal 1 (601) at time t2 and the timing of message transmission from terminal 2 (604) to talk server 603 at time t3 may be interchanged depending on the implementation status. There is

Next, from time t3 to t4, the talk server 603, until now, the terminal 1 (601)
and terminal 2 (604) are comprehensively analyzed to identify BOT candidates that can correspond to these messages.

At time t4, the BOT candidate identified by talk server 603 is transmitted to terminal 2 (604).
At this time, the BOT candidates can also include a BOT that is linked (in a friend relationship) with the terminal 1 (601) due to the consent process at time t3. Then, at time t4, when displaying these BOT candidates on terminal 2 (604), the BOT directly linked to terminal 2 (604) (in direct friendship) and terminal 2 (604) , but directly linked to terminal 1 (601) (become a direct friend). , and the latter BOT is displayed with mosaic processing, etc.).

The method of showing the BOT candidates presented to terminal 2 (604) at time t4 is also referred to as a "flip-view UI" (more details will be described later with reference to FIG. 7A, etc.).

At time t5, the BOT candidate specified by the talk server 603 is transmitted to the terminal 1 (601) (in the figure, the terminal 1 (601) receives the second glimpse UI). Terminal 1 (
601) above, these BOT candidates are displayed as a sneak peek UI.
At this time, the BOT candidates can also include a BOT that is linked (in a friend relationship) with the terminal 2 (604) due to the consent process at time t3. Then, at time t5, when these BOT candidates are displayed on terminal 1 (601), BOT directly linked to terminal 1 (601) (in direct friendship) and terminal 1 (601) , but directly linked to terminal 2 (604) (become a direct friend). , and the latter BOT is displayed with mosaic processing, etc.).

Note that the timing of the glimpse UI for terminal 2 (604) at time t4 and time t5
The timing of the preview UI for the terminal 1 (601) in 1 may change depending on the implementation status.

At time t6, one of the BOT candidates presented via the glimpse UI on terminal 1 (601) is selected (that is, the user of terminal 1 requests further information from the selected BOT). . At this time, the identifier (BOT_ID) of the selected BOT is transmitted from terminal 1 (601) to talk server 603. FIG. It should be noted that the transmission of the BOT_ID can also be included in the message and transmitted.

At times t6 to t7, the talk server identifies the BOT from the received BOT_ID,
A message is requested from the identified BOT (server) (time t7). The request message includes requests for further content, related content, or candidates for these (content candidates).

At time t8, content candidates are returned from BOT server 602 to talk server 603, and at time t9, these content candidates are transferred from talk server 603 to terminal 1 (601).

In one implementation, along with the transfer of candidate content from talk server 603 to terminal 1 (601) at time t9, or instead of transferring the candidate content from talk server 603 to terminal 1 (601), talk server 603 It is also possible to broadcast content candidates to members in the chat room, and to achieve substantially real-time sharing of content candidate information (this is the event at time t10 in FIG. 6).

At time t 11 , terminal 1 ( 601 ) selects one content candidate and transmits it to talk server 603 . After that, this content is transmitted to terminal 2 (604) at time t12 with a slight time difference.
At this point, terminal 1 (601) and terminal 2 (604) share the aforementioned content (as an example, if the shared content is video content, substantial real-time playback is possible on both terminals). done).

At time t13, one of the one or more BOTs displayed on terminal 2 is selected, and the identifier (BOT_ID) of the selected BOT is transmitted to talk server 603 at time t13.

At time t14, talk server 603 transmits a content candidate request message to BOT server 602. At time t15, BOT server 602 returns content candidates to talk server 603. At time t16, the content candidates are transferred to terminal 2 (604). .

In one implementation, along with the transfer of candidate content from talk server 603 to terminal 2 (604) at time t16, or instead of transferring the candidate content from talk server 603 to terminal 2 (604), talk server 603 It is also possible to broadcast content candidates to the members in the chat room and to substantially share the content candidate information in real time (this is the event at time t17 in FIG. 6).

At time t<b>18 , terminal 2 ( 604 ) selects one of the content candidates and transmits it to talk server 603 . After that, this content is transmitted to terminal 1 (601) at time t19 with a slight time difference.
At this point, terminal 1 (601) and terminal 2 (604) share the aforementioned content (as an example, if the shared content is video content, substantial real-time playback is possible on both terminals). done).

<Third Embodiment>
The third embodiment focuses on a display example on a user terminal and describes features of one embodiment of the present invention. Description will be made below with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7E.
Part or all of the content described in the third embodiment can also be applied to other embodiments, except when the features are mutually exclusive.

In one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7A, on the display screen of the terminal 700 (the housing and the like are not shown), it is possible to enter a user talk room and exchange messages with other users in the talk group. The state of doing is shown. The display screen of the terminal 700 is roughly divided into a terminal status information display area 701, a messaging service provision area (hereinafter referred to as a "talk room") 702, and a transmission message input and transmission area 703 from the terminal 700. ing.

Also, in FIGS. 7A to 7E, as described above, with respect to the time axis going from top to bottom,
Received messages from other users in the talk group (including BOTs linked to other users) are displayed on the left, and outgoing messages from yourself (including BOTs linked to yourself) are displayed on the right. are displayed in chronological order.

In FIG. 7A, on the talk room 702, a message 7021a of "Ginza" sent by another user at 14:00 is displayed. Also, an assistant BOT 7021b associated with the user is displayed near the message 7021a.
Note that in one embodiment of the present invention, the BOT 7021b can also be displayed so as to be superimposed on at least a part of the message 7021a (same below).

In FIG. 7A, BOT 7021b appears as a BOT that can provide information related to the word "Ginza" (broken line) in message 7021a. If the user using the terminal 700 wants to retrieve related information from the BOT 7021b, he/she can receive further information by an operation (not shown) (for example, clicking or tapping the BOT 7021b).

Here, the user using the terminal 700 does not need the information from the BOT 7021b, so he wishes to leave the area 702. FIG. In that case, as an example, BO
The user can flick or swipe T7021b to the outside of the screen (edge direction) with his or her hand or finger 7021c (BOT 7021b disappears from the screen).

In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, along with the withdrawal to BOT7021b described above,
If there is a relationship (direct or indirect friendship, etc.) between the user using the terminal 700 and this BOT 7021b, control can be made to dissolve the relationship. In this case, the user using the terminal 700 and the BOT 7021 can be identified from a friend relationship table (not shown) or the like.
The flag related to b is reset.

On the other hand, the user using the terminal 700 sends a message 7022a at 14:30. As a result, BOT70 is added to the word "Roppongi" in the dashed line in the message 7022a.
22b (which may or may not be the same as BOT 7021b) responds and is displayed near message 7022a.
The BOT 7022b waits for the user's instruction to provide information related to the keyword "Roppongi" in the message 7022a.

Here, the user using the terminal 700 wishes to receive further information on "Roppongi" from the BOT 7022b, and as an example, uses his/her own hand or finger to BOT7.
Click or tap the position 7022c pointing to 022b.

Then, in one embodiment, the next step is to locate "Roppongi" near BOT 7022b.
Option buttons 7023a to 7023c that are themes related to are displayed. In other words, the button 7023a is a selection button for obtaining further information about "rice", and the button 7023a
23b is a selection button for obtaining further information on "sake", and button 7023c
is a selection button to get more information about "Night".

Next, the user using terminal 700 presses option button 7023c with his or her hand or finger 7021d.

Then, in one embodiment, the next step is to display facility or store candidates 7024a-7024c with a "night" theme. The user is interested in 7024b and clicks or taps position 7024d with his/her hand or finger.

Then, 7025a is sent as a message to other members in the talk group,
Other members can know the content 7025b by receiving the message. Although not shown, each member can obtain detailed information about the facility or store by tapping the content 7025b.

FIG. 7B illustrates, by way of example, how other users appear on their terminal 710 through use of the terminal 700 described with reference to FIG. 7A.

In FIG. 7B, messages 711a (corresponding to 7021a) and messages 712a (corresponding to 7022a) of other users are shown on the left side of the talk room of the terminal 710 (the housing and the like are not shown). (below) the keyword "
Assistant BOTs 712b, 712c, and 712d are displayed in response to "Roppongi". Each BOT has a different personality (BOT 712d can be associated with BOT 7021b and/or 7022b).

[Characteristics of target message for which BOT is displayed]
Here, as to what kind of message in the chat room the BOT is to appear in, in one embodiment, the time associated with the chat room (upload time to the chat room) is 1 for the message with the newest time. The above BOT can be displayed.
[Sorting order when multiple BOTs appear]
Also, like BOTs 712b, 712c, and 712d, when a group of BOTs appear near a specific message in response to the same or similar keywords, in one embodiment, the order extracted or specified in the talk server ( chronological order), or in order of degree of relevance to the keyword.

In FIG. 7B, in the talk room area 713, option buttons 7131a to 7131c displayed when one of BOTs 712b to 712d is selected on another user's terminal (for example, terminal 700), Content candidates 7132a to 7132a displayed by selecting the option button 7131c on the same terminal (for example, the terminal 700)
7132c. These are not the operations of the user using the terminal 710, but the terminal 710 where the objects appearing through the operations of other users (for example, the user using the terminal 700) are other members in the talk room. is controlled so that it can be viewed by users using

That is, in one embodiment, BOT 7022b becomes BOT 712d, option buttons 7023a-7023c become option buttons 7131a-7131c, and content candidate 70
24a-7024c can be associated with content candidates 7132a-7132c, respectively.

Furthermore, in FIG. 7B, another user's terminal (for example, the terminal 70
0) a message 714a containing the content 714b displayed by being selected above;
is displayed. In one embodiment, sent message 7025a is received message 7
14a, transmitted content 7025b can be associated with received content 714b, respectively.

FIG. 7C shows another operation example and display example associated with an operation or the like on the terminal 720. FIG.

In FIG. 7C, messages 7211 and 7212a of other users are displayed on the left side of the talk room of the terminal 720 (the housing and the like are not shown). displayed nearby. Of these, BOT7212
b and 7212c are also involved in the utterances (messages on the right side of the talk room) of the user using the terminal 720 (described later).
A characteristic point here is that the BOT 7212c (and BOT 722b) are, as illustrated, exemplarily translucent processed in the talk room of the terminal 720. FIG. In other words, these BOTs are not directly linked to the user using terminal 720 . In one embodiment, BOT 7212c (and BOT 722b) are directly associated with other users who are friends with the user using terminal 720 (eg, the user using terminal 700). be.
Even in this case, the user using the terminal 720 is not directly associated with himself (that is, indirectly associated through a friend user) BOT7212c
(and BOT 722b) can also receive information (described later).

Next, when the user using the terminal 720 sends a message 722a, BOTs 722b and 722c are displayed in response to part of the message 722a ("DANCE" in the figure), but BOT 722b is directly associated with itself. Since it is not, translucent processing is applied (however, advice can also be sought from this BOT 722b as described above).
A user using terminal 720 taps BOT 722c at location 722d asking for relevant information about the dance.

Next, the user using the terminal 720 sends a message 723, and after a short interval (eg, about 30 minutes as shown in the figure), sends a message 724. FIG.
At this time, a BOT with the same character as BOT 722c is displayed near the message 724 (lower left corner of the message in the figure), but as shown in the figure, it is slightly different from the BOT 722c displayed about 30 minutes ago. It is expressed (as an example, busy).
It is also possible to give the BOT to be displayed in this manner a facial expression to express that it is taking some time to collect information and to what degree.

Next, the user using terminal 720 sends message 725a without waiting for advice information from BOT 722c. Then, in the lower left corner of message 725a, B
OT 725b is displayed (as an example, this BOT is the same as BOT 722b and is not directly tied to itself), and the user can touch BOT 725b with their hand or finger 725c.
to ask for advice.

FIG. 7D shows a terminal 730 (this terminal may be the same as or different from the terminal 720, but for convenience of 720) are operation examples and display examples.
Thus, messages 731, 732, 733a, and 735 correspond to messages 7211, 7212a, 722a, and 724, respectively, in FIG. 7C.

In FIG. 7D, the talk room area 734 is an overlay display, which was displayed in response to the tap of BOT 722c (DANCE's related information request) in FIG. 7C.

On the overlay 734, option buttons 7341a, 7341b,
7341c is displayed, and when the user using the terminal 730 presses the button 7341a (for example, by tapping the position 7341d), content candidates 7342a, 7342b, and 7342c related to dance videos are displayed.

In addition, a user using terminal 730 may place content candidate 7342b at position 734
Select by tapping 2d, etc., and content 736
display.

FIG. 7E is an example of a screen on terminal 720 after the series of operations described with reference to FIGS. 7C and 7D (in this figure, an example of display on terminal 740 is described).

In FIG. 7E, message 741 displayed in the talk room is message 7211,
731, message 742 to messages 7212a and 732, message 743 to messages 722a and 733a, message 744 to message 723 (corresponding messages are hidden in the overlay in FIG. 7D), message 745 to message 72
4, 735, message 746 corresponds to message 725a (the corresponding message is hidden in the overlay in FIG. 7D), and content 747 corresponds to content 736, respectively.

The message group shown in FIG. 7E also serves as a history of exchanges so far, and the BOT displayed in the corner of each message is still displayed near the corresponding message, but the present invention is limited to these. BOTs that have been displayed for a certain period of time are automatically deleted, and BOs that have been displayed for a certain period of time
Even if it is T, it is possible to adopt various variations, such as keeping the BOT once requested by the user displayed.

<First modification>
FIGS. 8A(A) to (C) exemplify variations of how to display the assistant BOT as a character. Shields 801a, 801b, and 80 in FIG.
1c may be a physical obstruction such as a corner on the screen, or a software obstruction such as a message or an object displayed on the screen.

FIGS. 8A(A) to (C) exemplify variations of how to display the assistant BOT as a character. Shields 801a, 801b, and 80 in FIG.
1c may be a physical obstruction such as a corner on the screen, or a software obstruction such as a message or an object displayed on the screen.

A BOT 810a shown in FIG. 8A(A) is a character object with a chick motif as an example, and its face is only about half visible through the shield 801a.
In other words, in FIG. 8A, only a portion of the object image representing BOT 810a is controlled to be visible to the user.

The BOT 810b (which is the same character object as the BOT 810a) shown in FIG. 8A(B) has almost the entire face visible through the shield 801b. That is, in FIG. 8A(B), a portion of the object image representing the BOT 810a (however, FIG. 8A
(A) more) is controlled to be visible to the user.

The BOT 810c (which is the same character object as the BOTs 810a and 810b) shown in FIG. 8A(C) is entirely visible through the shield 801c. In other words, in FIG. 8A(C), all of the object images representing BOT 810a are controlled so as to be visible to the user.

In such an aspect, the following technical significance can be given as an example, depending on how much of the object image representing the BOT is exposed to the user's eyes (object display ratio).

つまり、ＢＯＴから提供可能な情報の質の高低とオブジェクトの表出割合とを比例関係
に対応付けたり、提供可能な情報の多少とオブジェクトの表出割合とを比例関係に対応付
けたりすることができる。
あるいは、ＢＯＴへ情報提供をリクエストしてから回答までの時間の目安を表現するた
めに上記表示態様を適用することもできる。この場合は、情報の提供時間の時間とオブジ
ェクトの表示割合とを反比例に対応付けることが考えられる（つまり、オブジェクト表出
割合が１００％の場合は迅速に回答可能でＢＯＴに自身が有る様を示し、オブジェクト表
出割合が２０％の場合は回答までに時間がかかる見込みでＢＯＴとしては多少自信がない
様子を示す）。この時間はサーバの負荷を計算することで反映させることができる。

In other words, it is possible to establish a proportional relationship between the quality of information that can be provided by the BOT and the appearance ratio of the object, or to associate the amount of information that can be provided and the appearance ratio of the object in a proportional relationship. can.
Alternatively, the above display mode can be applied to express an estimate of the time from when the BOT is requested to provide information to when it responds. In this case, it is conceivable to associate the information provision time and the object display ratio in inverse proportion (that is, if the object display ratio is 100%, it indicates that the BOT can respond quickly and has its own , It is expected that it will take time to answer when the object appearance ratio is 20%, and the BOT seems to be somewhat unconfident). This time can be reflected by calculating the server load.

<Second modification>
A second modification illustrated with reference to FIG. 8B is still another variation of the first modification.

FIGS. 8B(A) to 8B(C) exemplify variations of display when an assistant BOT is displayed as a message box like a human user. Shields 802a, 802b, and 802c in the figure may be physical shields such as corners on the screen, or software shields such as messages or objects displayed on the screen.

About one-third of the message box 820a shown in FIG. 8B(A) is covered by the shield 8.
It is only peeking out from 02a. In other words, in FIG. 4B(A), only a part of the object image representing the message box is controlled so that it is visible to the user.

About two thirds of the message box 820b shown in FIG. 8B(B) is covered by the shield 8.
It is only peeping out from 02b. In other words, in B(B) of the same figure, only part of the object image representing the message box (but more than in B(A) of the same figure) is controlled so that it is visible to the user.

The message box 820c shown in FIG. 8B(C) is controlled so that it can all be seen through the shield 802c.

In this aspect, various technical significances can be given to the display ratio of the message object (as explained with reference to the above table, etc., as an example).

<Third modification>
A third modification illustrated with reference to FIG. 8C is still another variation of the first and second modifications.

FIGS. 8C(A) to (C) exemplify variations of display when an assistant BOT is displayed as a message box like a human user. Messages 830a, 830b, and 830c in the figure have different sizes. In this aspect, various technical implications can be given to the size of the message object (as explained with reference to the above table, etc., as an example).

For example, the quality of information that can be provided from the BOT and the size of the message object can be associated in a proportional relationship, or the amount of information that can be provided and the size of the message object can be associated in a proportional relationship.

Alternatively, the above display mode can be applied to express an estimate of the time from when the BOT is requested to provide information to when it responds. In this case, it is conceivable to associate the time of information provision time and the size of the message object in inverse proportion (that is, if the message object is large, it indicates that the BOT can respond quickly and has its own, and the message object is If it is small, it will take some time to reply, and the BOT seems to be somewhat unconfident).

<Fourth modification>
A fourth modification illustrated with reference to FIG. 8D is still another variation of the first to third modifications.

FIGS. 8D(A) to (C) exemplify variations of display when an assistant BOT is displayed as a message box like a human user. Messages 840a, 840b, and 840c in FIG. In this aspect, various technical significances can be given to the line density, background color, etc. of the message object (as described with reference to the above table, etc., as an example).

<Fifth Modification>
The fifth modification illustrated with reference to FIG. 9 is a variation in which a plurality of assistant BOTs, which have been specifically described mainly with reference to FIGS. 7B to 7E, are displayed near a specific message or the like. 3 shows a variation when the display mode is changed depending on the relationship between the user and the BOT.

Assistant BOTs 901a, 902a, and 903a shown in FIG. 9A are, for example,
BOTs 712b, 712c, and 712d are displayed side by side near specific messages. It is assumed that the BOTs 901a, 902a, and 903a are directly associated with the terminal user who is displaying them. In that case, as shown in the figure, display control is performed so that there is no discrimination in how to display the assistant BOTs 901a, 902a, and 903a.

On the other hand, the assistant BOTs 901b, 902b, and 903b shown in FIG. 9B are directly associated with the terminal user who is displaying them, but the BOT 903b is indirectly associated with them. Relationships (e.g., BOT903b
are directly associated with other users of the chat room). In that case, as shown in the figure, the assistant BOTs 901b, 902b, and 903b are differentiated in display manner (display mode), and the display of the BOT 903b is controlled so as to be translucent.

As for the assistant BOTs 901c, 902c, and 903c shown in FIG. 9C, the BOT 901c is directly associated with the terminal user displaying them, but the BOTs 902c and 903c have an indirect relationship. shall remain at In this case as well, as shown in the figure, the assistant BOTs 901c, 902c, and 903c are differentiated in their display manner (display mode), and the display of the BOTs 902c and 903c is controlled so as to be translucent.

For the assistant BOTs 901d, 902d, and 903d shown in FIG. 9(D),
These correspond to the BOTs 901c, 902c, and 903c, respectively, and show further variations in how to distinguish the display modes. In other words, the BOTs 902c and 903c are controlled to be translucent, while the BOTs 902d and 903d are controlled to be mosaic-processed for the same reason.

<Sixth modification>
The sixth modification illustrated with reference to FIG. 10 displays the busyness of the assistant BOT 722c specifically described with reference to FIG. It shows a variation of the case.

That is, the BOT shown in FIG. 10A is a display mode when a normal response time can be expected. BOT shown in FIG. 10(B) is a display mode when the response time is expected to be longer than in the case shown in FIG. 10(A). Then, the BOT shown in FIG. 10(B)
is a display mode when the response time is expected to be longer than in the case shown in FIG.

In addition, the BOT shown in FIG. 10(D) expresses a state of being remotely operated as illustrated, and exemplarily does not automatically respond by a computer program, but manually (human).
10 is an example of a display mode for indicating to the user that manual handling is being performed by .

In this way, various display modes can be applied to the BOT expression method according to the BOT situation.

<Fourth Embodiment>
The fourth embodiment is an embodiment in which billing processing is introduced in the first to third embodiments. The basic concept will be explained with reference to FIGS.
Of course, part or all of the content described in the fourth embodiment is also applicable to other embodiments, except where the features are mutually exclusive.

[Billing timing]
Typical timings of charging based on the embodiments described so far are, in one embodiment of the present invention, (B1) when the assistant BOT is presented or provided, and (B2) a plurality of rough themes for the assistant BOT. (B3) When requesting/providing content candidates in line with one or more themes, (B4) requesting one content among the content candidates / When provided, etc.

[Billing target]
Regarding (B1) above, it is typically preferable to charge the assistant BOT provider. Also, for (B2) to (B4), it seems possible to charge either or both of the assistant BOT provider and the terminal user (that is, the assistant BOT provider may charge the terminal user from the viewpoint of hearing the advertisement fee. from a service delivery point of view).
For the sake of easy understanding of the present invention, the following description assumes charging to the assistant BOT provider, but the present invention is not limited to this. Also, the assistant BOT as exemplified in (B1) is the first object or first information, and the selectable information or menu as exemplified in (B2) or the content candidate as exemplified in (B3) is the second object. or second information, and the provided content as exemplified in (B4) is called a third object or second information.

FIG. 11 shows the basic flow of billing processing in the system etc. according to one embodiment of the present invention. In step S1101 of FIG. 11, it is assumed that an application (typically a messaging service) has already been activated. Next, in step S1102, the assistant BOT presents the first information (first object presentation) at various timings shown in the above embodiments, and the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S1103, weight count processing is performed for billing due to the presentation of the first information by the BOT in the previous step. The point of the processing here is that although the billing process can be performed each time the first information is presented, in some cases, as an example, the process may be performed in such a way that the billing process is performed in stages according to the number of times the first information is presented. The point is that it is done.
For example, in step S1103, the number of times the BOT presents the first information based on the previous step is counted. times) can be accounted for.
It should be noted that a known technique can be appropriately applied to the billing process itself.

In step S1104, it is determined whether or not the user requests the assistant BOT to present the second information (present the second object) through the various scenes shown in the above embodiments, and if No, skip to step S1110. However, if the answer is Yes, the process proceeds to step S1105, and the BOT presents the second information to the user terminal.

In step S1106, weight count processing is performed for billing due to the presentation of the second information by the user in the previous step. The point of the processing here is that although it is possible to perform the billing process each time the second information is presented, in some cases, as an example, it is possible to perform the stepwise billing process according to the number of times the second information is presented. The point is that it is done.

In step S1107, it is determined whether or not there is a request for presenting third information (presenting a third object) to the assistant BOT by the user through various scenes shown in the above-described embodiments, and if No, skip to step S1110. However, if the answer is Yes, the process proceeds to step S1108, and the BOT presents the third information to the user terminal.

In step S1109, weight count processing is performed for billing due to the presentation of the third information by the user in the previous step. The point of the processing here is that although the billing process can be performed each time the third information is presented, in some cases, as an example, it is possible to perform the stepwise billing process according to the number of times the third information is presented. The point is that it is done.

Although step S1110 is the end of this flow, as long as the application is running, the above-described steps S1102 to S1109 are repeated.

<Seventh Modification>
A seventh modification described with reference to FIG. 12 is an extension of the conventional count processing in steps S1103, S1106, and S1109 in FIG. Adjustment logic is implemented.

In step S1201 of FIG. 12, when metered count processing associated with information provision etc. is started, the flow advances to step S1202 to specify the (user) account of the information presentation destination, and further advances to step S1203 to identify the account group to which the account belongs. identified.
Here, step S1202 may be omitted depending on the implementation.

Next, proceeding to step S1204, it is determined whether or not the information related to information provision, which is the basis for starting this flow, has already been requested or provided within the account group specified in the previous step.
If No in step S1204, the process skips to step S1206. If Yes, the process advances to step S1205 to turn on the duplication flag (the duplication flag has been initialized at an appropriate timing not shown).

In step S1206, it is determined whether or not the duplication flag is on. If Yes, the process skips to step S1208.
A specific example of the usage count process is as described with reference to FIG. 11 .

Although step S1208 is the end of this flow, as long as the application is running, the above-described steps S1202 to S1207 are performed in the extended usage count processing.

What is meant by the operation flow of FIG. 12 is that, as an example, an assistant BOT object is displayed in response to a certain message, and after being selected by the first user in the talkgroup, the assistant BOT is displayed as the first user in the same talkgroup. In the case of selection by two users, no billing information is generated for the BOT provider due to the selection by the second user (control to avoid duplicate billing within the group).

On the other hand, if the logic for avoiding duplicate billing within the group shown in FIG. If the assistant BOT is selected by a second user in the same talk group, the billing for the BOT provider due to the selection by the second user is the same as the billing due to the previous selection by the first user. is performed separately (control that emphasizes charging for each account).

<Fifth Embodiment>
The fifth embodiment focuses on display examples on a user terminal (in particular, a BOT provider terminal) based on the fourth embodiment, and describes features of an embodiment of the present invention. Description will be made below with reference to FIG.
Part or all of the content described in the fifth embodiment can also be applied to other embodiments, except when the features are mutually exclusive.

In one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 13, on the display screen of the terminal 1300 (the housing and the like are not shown), for example, the BOT provider user's billing information for the BOT is displayed. A browsing screen is displayed, and a terminal status information display area 1301, a BOT information display area 1302, a billing charge confirmation/change area 1303 by presenting the first information, etc., and a second
It includes a billing charge confirmation/change area 1304 by presenting information or the like, a billing charge confirmation/change area 1305 by presenting third information or the like, and a payment method guidance area 1306 .

A target BOT name and a BOT character image are displayed in the BOT information display area 1302 so that the BOT can be identified at a glance.

In a billing charge confirmation/change area 1303 by first information presentation etc., the number of points per view is displayed as the billing charge unit price by first information presentation etc. FIG. A point is a virtual currency value when cumulatively calculating the number of views (the number of presentations). Further, when a setting change button 1303b is pressed, a transition is made to another screen (not shown) as an example, and the billing conditions (by default, the billing conditions at the time of application) can be changed as appropriate.

A billing charge confirmation/change area 1304 by presenting the second information or the like and a billing charge confirmation/change area 1305 by presenting the third information or the like have the same configuration as the area 1303. When pressed, it transitions to another screen (not shown) as an example, and it is possible to appropriately change the billing conditions for each information presentation (the billing conditions at the time of application by default).

<Sixth Embodiment>
In the sixth embodiment, when the above-described first to third information are requested (or when the requested information is received), the requesting user is notified of the execution of billing processing when billing is performed. It relates to a display example for doing. Description will be made with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the user makes an information provision request to assistant BOT 1401, or receives information by making an information provision request, coins are inserted into coin slot 1401b drawn on the head of BOT 1401a. 1402 is shown (
Such a state may be expressed by animation).

With such a display mode, the user can easily recognize that he/she has been charged (or that points for charging processing have been added).

<Seventh Embodiment>
The seventh embodiment focuses on a display example on a user terminal (in particular, a BOT provider terminal) based on the fourth embodiment, and describes features of an embodiment of the present invention. Description will be made below with reference to FIG.
Part or all of the content described in the seventh embodiment can also be applied to other embodiments, except when the features are mutually exclusive.

In one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 15, on the display screen of the terminal 1500 (the housing and the like are not shown), for viewing the billing information of the BOT provider user for the BOT, as an example. A browsing screen is displayed. More specifically, the terminal status information display area 150
1, BOT information display area 1502, current billing information (subtotal column) 1503, (tax) 1504, and (total) 1505 are displayed, and further, a breakdown column (detail display button 1506a), a breakdown column by presenting the second information, etc. (including the detail display button 1506b), and a breakdown column by presenting the third information, etc. (details display button 1506c).
), a payment means guide area 1507, and a payment page transition button 1508.

The target BOT name and BOT character image are displayed in the BOT information display area 1502 so that the BOT can be identified at a glance.

The current billing information (subtotal column) 1503 displays, as an example, the billing amount (excluding tax) at the current billing month. Similarly, current billing information (tax) 150
4 shows, as an example, the billing amount (indicated with tax) at the current billing month. The current billing information (total) 1505 displays, as an example, the total billing amount (including tax) at the current billing month.

In FIG. 15 , the breakdown column for the first information presentation, etc. indicates that the first information presentation, etc. has occurred 8089 times at the present time in the billing month. In the figure, a detailed display button 15
When 06a is pressed, as an example, a transition to another screen (not shown) can be made and its statistical breakdown can be viewed.

In addition, in the breakdown column of the second information presentation etc., it is shown that the second information presentation etc. have occurred 1607 times at the present time in the billing month. In the figure, when a detail display button 1506b is pressed, a transition is made to another screen (not shown) as an example, and the statistical breakdown can be viewed.

In addition, in the breakdown column by the third information presentation etc., it is shown that the third information presentation etc. have occurred 1008 times at the present time in the billing month. When a detailed display button 1506c is pressed in the figure, a transition is made to another screen (not shown) as an example, and the statistical breakdown can be viewed.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various variations and modifications based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these variations and modifications are included within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means, each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and it is possible to combine a plurality of means, steps, etc. into one or divide them. . Also, the configurations shown in the respective embodiments may be appropriately combined.

100, 200 BOT control management system 110, 120 information processing terminal 151, 152, 153 information processing device (server)
199 network 210 information processing server 220, 230 PC (information processing terminal)
240 mobile phone (information processing terminal)
250, 251, 252 Tablets (information processing terminals)
260, 270, 280, 290 networks

Claims (17)

A program executed by a terminal for displaying on a display unit content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate,
Displaying on the display unit a first object indicating a third account associated with a first function based on the first content associated with the first account or the second content associated with the second account. When,
displaying predetermined information on the display unit based on the selection of the first object ;
A program for displaying billing information related to the predetermined information on the display unit in association with the first object . The program of claim 1,
the predetermined information includes first predetermined information and second predetermined information different from the first predetermined information;
displaying on the display section first billing information relating to the first predetermined information and second billing information relating to the second predetermined information in association with the first object;
program. The program of claim 1 or claim 2 ,
A program for displaying, on the display unit, the first object and a second object indicating a fourth account associated with a second function different from the first function, based on the first content or the second content. . The program of claim 3 ,
the first object is an aspect related to the first function;
The program, wherein the second object is an aspect related to the second function. The program of claim 4 ,
executing the first function based on the selection of the first object ;
A program for executing the second function based on the selection of the second object. A program executed by a terminal of a first user for displaying on a display unit content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate,
Displaying on the display unit a first object indicating a third account associated with a first function based on the first content associated with the first account or the second content associated with the second account. including
When the first account and the third account are in a friend relationship on an SNS (Social Networking Service), the first object is displayed on the display unit, and the first account and the third account are the friends. A program for displaying the first object on the display unit when the second account and the third account are in the friend relationship regardless of the relationship. The program of claim 6 ,
When the first account and the third account are in the friend relationship, the first object in the first mode is displayed on the display unit, and the first account and the third account are in the friend relationship. A program for displaying the first object of the second mode on the display unit when the second account and the third account are in the friendship relationship without the second account. The program according to claim 6 or claim 7 ,
A program that allows the first user to use the first function when the first account and the third account are not in the friend relationship but the second account and the third account are in the friend relationship. A program executed by a terminal of a first user for displaying on a display unit content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate,
A first object representing a third account associated with a first function based on first content associated with the first account or second content associated with the second account; and the first function. and a second object representing a fourth account associated with a different second function on the display;
The first account and the third account are in a friend relationship on a social networking service (SNS), the first account and the fourth account are not in the friend relationship, and the second account and the fourth account are not in the friend relationship. A program for displaying the first object and the second object on the display unit when the are in the friend relationship. The program of claim 9 ,
The first account and the third account are in the friend relationship, the first account and the fourth account are not in the friend relationship, and the second account and the fourth account are in the friend relationship A program for displaying the first object and the second object, which is less visible than the first object, on the display unit when the first object and the first object are visible. The program according to claim 9 or claim 10 ,
The first account and the third account are in the friend relationship, the first account and the fourth account are not in the friend relationship, and the second account and the fourth account are in the friend relationship a program that enables the first user to use the first function and the second function when the A method performed by a terminal for displaying, on a display unit, content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate,
Displaying on the display unit a first object indicating a third account associated with a first function based on the first content associated with the first account or the second content associated with the second account. When,
displaying predetermined information on the display unit based on the selection of the first object ;
A method of displaying billing information related to the predetermined information on the display unit in association with the first object . A method performed by a terminal of a first user for displaying, on a display unit, content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate,
Displaying on the display unit a first object indicating a third account associated with a first function based on the first content associated with the first account or the second content associated with the second account. including
When the first account and the third account are in a friend relationship on an SNS (Social Networking Service), the first object is displayed on the display unit, and the first account and the third account are the friends. A method for displaying the first object on the display unit when the second account and the third account are in the friend relationship regardless of the relationship . A method performed by a terminal of a first user for displaying, on a display unit, content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate,
A first object representing a third account associated with a first function based on first content associated with the first account or second content associated with the second account; and the first function. and a second object representing a fourth account associated with a different second function on the display;
The first account and the third account are in a friend relationship on a social networking service (SNS), the first account and the fourth account are not in the friend relationship, and the second account and the fourth account are not in the friend relationship. are in the friend relationship, the method of displaying the first object and the second object on the display unit. A terminal comprising a display unit for displaying content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate,
displaying on the display unit a first object indicating a third account associated with a first function based on the first content associated with the first account or the second content associated with the second account;
displaying predetermined information on the display unit based on the selection of the first object ;
A terminal that displays billing information related to the predetermined information on the display unit in association with the first object . A terminal of the first user that displays, on a display unit, content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate,
displaying on the display unit a first object indicating a third account associated with a first function based on the first content associated with the first account or the second content associated with the second account;
When the first account and the third account are in a friend relationship on an SNS (Social Networking Service), the first object is displayed on the display unit, and the first account and the third account are the friends. A terminal that displays the first object on the display unit when the second account and the third account are in the friend relationship regardless of relationship . A terminal of the first user that displays, on a display unit, content of a chat room in which a first user of a first account and a second user of a second account participate,
A first object representing a third account associated with a first function based on first content associated with the first account or second content associated with the second account; and the first function. a second object representing a fourth account associated with a different second function on the display;
The first account and the third account are in a friend relationship on a social networking service (SNS), the first account and the fourth account are not in the friend relationship, and the second account and the fourth account are not in the friend relationship. are in the friendship relationship, the terminal displays the first object and the second object on the display unit.

Images