JP7410105B2 - Information provision device, application program, information provision method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information providing device, an application program, an information providing method, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, techniques for managing the viewing status of content such as television and videos by users are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for measuring the viewing time of a user on a playback device and notifying the user when the measured viewing time reaches an upper limit.

JP2009-296385A

The technique described in Patent Document 1 notifies a user of the fact that the viewing time on a playback device has reached the upper limit, and restricts the user from further viewing on the playback device. However, in the conventional technology, the viewing status of the content may not be appropriately utilized to encourage the user to view the content. As a result, it may be less convenient for the user to view the content.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and provides an information providing device, an application program, an information providing method, and a program that can increase the convenience of viewing content for users. One of the purposes is to provide

One aspect of the present invention is that the user is interested in a certain time period of the video based on the operation status of the terminal device by the user while the terminal device held by the user is playing the video. an interest determining unit that determines whether or not the user has an interest in the time segment; and an information providing unit that provides related information related to the time segment to the terminal device when it is determined that the user has an interest in the time segment; An information providing device comprising:

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience of viewing content for a user.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration and usage environment of a video distribution server 100. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of video information 152. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which a video distributed from the video distribution unit 120 is played on the terminal device 10. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of a screen on which a video distributed from the video distribution unit 120 is played on the terminal device 10. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for changing playback settings of a video played by the video viewing application 181. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of user information 160. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method by which an interest determination unit 130 determines a user's interest. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of how the interest determining unit 130 determines the user's interest. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of how the interest determining unit 130 determines the user's interest. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of how the interest determining unit 130 determines the user's interest. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a scene/related information correspondence table 156 used to determine related information provided by the information providing unit 140. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen on which the terminal device 10 displays a link to related information provided by the information providing unit 140. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining an object in which a user is interested by an interest determination unit 130. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an object/related information correspondence table 158 used to determine related information provided by the information providing unit 140. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of a screen on which the terminal device 10 displays related information provided by the information providing unit 140. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of user information 160. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining relevant information to be provided by an information providing unit 140 based on user information 160. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of statistical information 162. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing executed by collaboration between the video distribution server 100 and the video viewing application 181.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of an information providing apparatus, an application program, an information providing method, and a program of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration and usage environment of the video distribution server 100. The video distribution server 100 cooperates with the terminal device 10 to perform the processing described below.

[Terminal device]
The terminal device 10 includes, for example, a communication section 12, an input/output section 14, a control section 16, and a storage section 18. For example, a video viewing application 181 is stored in the storage unit 18. The storage unit 18 further stores information provided by the video distribution server 100.

The communication unit 12 includes a communication interface such as a wireless communication device and a network card. The communication unit 12 communicates with the video distribution server 100 via the network NW. The network NW includes the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a cellular network, and the like. When the terminal device 10 is a smartphone or a tablet terminal, the input/output unit 14 includes, for example, a touch panel in which a display unit and an operation unit are integrated. When the terminal device 10 is a personal computer, the input/output section 14 includes, for example, an input section such as an operation button or a keyboard, and a display section that displays an image.

The control unit 16 is realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a video viewing application 181. The control unit 16 cooperates with the video distribution server 100 to execute processing related to a video distribution service, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the video viewing application 181 will be described as a client application (native application) for playing videos distributed by the video distribution server 100, but the video viewing application 181 may be a web browser. good.

[Video distribution server]
The video distribution server 100 is a device that cooperates with the control unit 16 of the terminal device 10 to provide the terminal device 10 with a service as a video distribution site. The video distribution server 100 includes, for example, an acquisition section 110, a video distribution section 120, an interest determination section 130, an information provision section 140, and a storage section 150. The acquisition unit 110, the video distribution unit 120, the interest determination unit 130, and the information provision unit 140 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). The acquisition unit 110, video distribution unit 120, interest determination unit 130, and information provision unit 140 may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or may be realized by software. It may also be realized by cooperation of hardware. The storage unit 150 is realized by, for example, a ROM, flash memory, SD card, RAM, HDD, register, or the like. The storage unit 150 stores, for example, video information 152, operation history information 154, scene/related information correspondence table 156, object/related information correspondence table 158, user information 160, and statistical information 162.

The acquisition unit 110 receives distribution request information of a video that the user of the terminal device 10 desires to view from the terminal device 10 via the video viewing application 181. More specifically, for example, after starting the video viewing application 181, the user of the terminal device 10 directly inputs the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the video the user wishes to view on the interface screen of the video viewing application 181. , the acquisition unit 110 receives the URL information as video distribution request information. Further, for example, when the user of the terminal device 10 inputs a search keyword on the search screen of the video viewing application 181, the video viewing application 181 displays a list screen of videos that the user can view. By clicking on a video that the user wishes to view, the acquisition unit 110 receives URL information of the clicked video as distribution request information.

The video distribution unit 120 searches the video information 152 based on the distribution request information of the video that the user wishes to view, which was acquired by the acquisition unit 110, and sends the identified video to the video viewing application in streaming format or download format. Deliver to 181. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the video information 152. As shown in FIG. 2, the video information 152 includes the video ID, title, URL, category, uploader, upload date, scene 1, time interval of scene 1, scene 2, time interval of scene 2, etc. Information such as scene n and the time interval of scene n are associated with each other.

The title is information representing the title given to the video corresponding to the video ID. The URL is information indicating the storage location where the video corresponding to the video ID is stored in the video distribution server 100. The uploader is information that specifies the person or organization who uploaded the video corresponding to the video ID to the video distribution server 100. In this embodiment, a plurality of third parties who are registered with a video distribution service upload videos to the video distribution server 100. However, in the present invention, for example, only the operator of the video distribution server 100 uploads videos. The same can be applied to cases where

The upload date is information indicating the date when the uploader uploaded the video corresponding to the video ID to the video distribution server 100. The category is information that specifies the genre and type to which the video corresponding to the video ID belongs. The category may be specified manually by the uploader when uploading the video to the video distribution server 100, or the video distribution server 100 may, for example, analyze the content of the video using machine learning techniques such as deep learning. By doing so, a category corresponding to the analyzed content may be automatically specified. A scene is information indicating a scene having a specific meaning in the video corresponding to the video ID. For example, as shown in the video information 152 in FIG. 2, a video introducing a car is divided into multiple sections with specific meanings, such as a scene introducing the interior, a scene introducing the exterior, and a scene introducing the equipment. obtain. The time interval of a scene is information indicating a time interval including a start point and an end point of a scene in a moving image. The scene and the time interval of the scene may be manually specified by the uploader when uploading the video to the video distribution server 100, or the video distribution server 100 may specify the video using machine learning techniques such as deep learning. The scene may be automatically specified by analyzing the contents of .

In FIG. 2, as an example, the video information 152 includes title, URL, category, uploader, upload date, scene 1, time interval of scene 1, scene 2, time interval of scene 2, . . . scene n, Although the video information 152 has been described as including information such as the time interval of scene n, the configuration of the video information 152 is not limited thereto. For example, the video information 152 may further include information such as the length of the video, the total number of playbacks, the total playback time, the average stay time, the bounce rate, the number of high ratings, and the number of low ratings.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which a video distributed from the video distribution unit 120 is played on the terminal device 10. FIG. 3 shows a case where the video viewing application 181 of the terminal device 10 is playing back a video distributed from the video distribution unit 120 in the vertical direction (portrait mode) of the terminal device 10. In FIG. 3, the symbol A1 represents the screen area of the terminal device where the moving image is played. Reference numeral A2 represents a menu for changing video playback settings, which will be described later. Reference numeral A3 represents a video playback time point and a scene corresponding to the playback time point. Reference numeral A4 represents a progress bar that visually represents the time point at which the video is played (that is, the elapsed time from the start point of the video). For example, the user can move the playback point back by moving the progress bar to the left on the terminal device 10, or advance the playback point by moving the progress bar to the right. The code A5 represents the title of the video being played. The code A6 represents the total number of times the video is being played and the upload date. The code A7 represents the uploader of the video being played. The progress bar is an example of an "operation section."

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of a screen on which a video distributed from the video distribution unit 120 is played on the terminal device 10. FIG. 4 shows a case where the video viewing application 181 of the terminal device 10 is playing back a video distributed from the video distribution unit 120 in the horizontal direction (landscape mode) of the terminal device 10. The video viewing application 181 of the terminal device 10 estimates the attitude of the terminal device 10 based on, for example, a value output from a gravitational acceleration sensor (not shown) installed in the terminal device 10, and estimates the attitude of the terminal device 10 with respect to the ground. If the orientation is estimated to be vertical, the video is played in portrait mode. On the other hand, if it is estimated that the terminal device 10 is in a horizontal position with respect to the ground, the video viewing application 181 of the terminal device 10 plays the video in landscape mode.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for changing playback settings of a video played by the video viewing application 181. FIG. 5 shows a list of menu items displayed by clicking on the hamburger menu indicated by reference numeral A2 in FIG. The resolution is information indicating the number of vertical and horizontal pixels of a moving image displayed on the screen of the terminal device 10. In FIG. 5, for example, 640×360 means that a moving image is played with a pixel count of 640 pixels vertically and 360 pixels horizontally. For example, the user can arbitrarily select a resolution such as 256×144, 640×360, or 1280×720 by clicking on the resolution displayed as a menu item.

The playback speed is information indicating the speed at which a video is played back by the video viewing application 181. In FIG. 5, for example, 1.5x speed means that the moving image is played back at 1.5 times the normal speed. For example, the user can arbitrarily select a playback speed such as 0.5x speed, 1x speed (normal speed), 1.5x speed, or 2x speed by clicking on the playback speed displayed as a menu item. .

Subtitles are information indicating whether or not text information representing the content uttered by the person appearing in the video is displayed simultaneously with the video playback. In FIG. 5, for example, subtitles (OFF) means that subtitles are not displayed when the video viewing application 181 plays the video, while subtitles (ON) means that the video viewing application 181 plays the video. This means that subtitles are displayed when the video is played. The user can arbitrarily turn the subtitles ON and OFF, for example, by clicking on the subtitles displayed as a menu item.

The screen lock is information indicating whether to lock (fix) the video playback in the portrait mode of the terminal device 10 or the video playback in the landscape mode of the terminal device 10. In FIG. 5, for example, when the user clicks screen lock (ON) while the video viewing application 181 is playing a video in portrait mode, video playback in portrait mode is locked. In other words, when video playback in portrait mode is locked, video playback continues in portrait mode instead of landscape mode even if it is estimated that the terminal device 10 is in a landscape orientation with respect to the ground. be done. The user can arbitrarily switch the screen lock ON and OFF, for example, by clicking on the screen lock displayed as a menu item. This function prevents the video display mode from being switched against the user's intention due to a change in the attitude of the terminal device 10.

[Processing of information providing device]
The interest determination unit 130 determines whether the user is interested in a certain time period of the video based on the operation of the terminal device 10 performed by the user while the video viewing application 181 is playing the video. do. The information providing unit 140 provides the terminal device 10 with information related to the video (more specifically, a link to the relevant information) based on the time period determined to be of interest to the user, and the video viewing application 181 displays a link to the provided related information in conjunction with the video being played (for example, superimposed on the video). The interest determining unit 130 and the information providing unit 140 are an example of an “information providing device”. The interest determining unit 130 and the information providing unit 140 may be implemented as devices separate from the video distribution server 100, or may be implemented as functions of the video viewing application 181. The processing executed by the interest determining section 130 and the information providing section 140 will be described in detail below.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the operation history information 154. The operation history information 154 is table information that records the details of operations performed on the terminal device 10 for each user during playback of a video. As shown in FIG. 6, the operation history information 154 is information in which time stamps, video IDs, operation details, and other information are associated with each other. The time stamp is information indicating the time when the user operated the terminal device 10. The video ID is ID information of the video that was being played when the user operated the terminal device 10. The operation content is information indicating the content of the operation performed on the terminal device 10 by the user. For example, each time the user operates the terminal device 10 during playback of a video, the video viewing application 181 records the content and transmits it to the video distribution server 100, and the acquisition unit 110 of the video distribution server 100 receives this information. , is recorded by storing the received contents in the storage unit 150.

The interest determining unit 130 determines whether the user is interested in a certain time section of the video being played, based on the operation history information 154. For example, the interest determination unit 130 determines that the user operates a progress bar to transition to a certain playback point in the video being played, and plays a certain time section of the video starting from the playback point without skipping. If it is determined that the user has a high interest in the time section.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method by which the interest determining unit 130 determines a user's interest. In FIG. 7, for example, after the user starts watching a video with video ID "0001" and immediately operates the progress bar to transition to the playback time 2:00, the transition from the playback time 2:00 to the playback time 3:00 is shown. This shows the scene where the video was played until the end. At this time, the interest determination unit 130 determines that the user is playing the video with the video ID "0001" without skipping the time segment from the playback time 2:00 to the playback time 3:00. , it is determined that the user has a high interest in the time segment from playback time 2:00 to playback time 3:00.

Next, when the interest determination unit 130 determines that the user has an interest in a certain time segment, it determines whether or not the time segment matches a specific scene in the video. More specifically, for example, the interest determination unit 130 refers to the video information 152 and determines whether the time segment in which the user is determined to be interested matches the time segment of the scene specified in the video information 152. Determine whether or not. For example, in the case of FIG. 7, it is determined that the user is interested in the time segment from the playback time 2:00 to the playback time 3:00, and the record of the video ID "0001" of the video information 152 has the following information: “2:00 to 3:00” is set as the time interval of scene 2 (that is, the exterior scene). Therefore, the interest determination unit 130 determines that scene 2 matches the time segment from the reproduction time point 2:00 to the reproduction time point 3:00. In other words, the interest determining unit 130 determines that the user is interested in scene 2.

Note that, in the above, the interest determination unit 130 determines whether or not the time interval in which the user is determined to be interested matches the time interval of the scene, but the present invention is limited to such a configuration. Not done. For example, the interest determination unit 130 may determine that the time interval and the scene match if the time interval determined to be of interest to the user includes the time interval of the scene. For example, the interest determination unit 130 determines that the time interval and the scene match if the time interval determined to be of interest to the user includes a predetermined percentage (e.g., 80%) or more of the time interval of the scene. You may do so.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another example of how the interest determining unit 130 determines the user's interest. FIG. 8 shows, for example, after the user starts watching a video with video ID "0001", plays the video until the playback time of 3:00, and then returns the playback time to 2:00 by operating the progress bar. , represents a scene where the video is played until the playback time of 3:00. At this time, the interest determination unit 130 determines that the user repeats the time segment from the playback time 2:00 to the playback time 3:00 of the video with the video ID "0001" (that is, twice in the scene of FIG. 8). In order to determine that the playback is being performed, it is determined that the user has a high interest in the time segment from the playback time point 2:00 to the playback time point 3:00. Next, as in the case of FIG. 7, the interest determining unit 130 refers to the video information 152 and determines that the time segment and scene 2 match.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of how the interest determining unit 130 determines the user's interest. FIG. 9 shows, for example, a scene in which a user starts viewing a video with video ID "0001" and continues to play the video beyond the playback time point of 1:30 without operating the progress bar. At this time, the interest determining unit 130 determines that the user is watching the video without operating the progress bar for a predetermined period of time (for example, 90 seconds) or more, based on the operation history information 154. It is determined that there is a high level of interest in the time segment from the playback time point 0:00 to the current playback time point. Next, as in the case of FIG. 7, the interest determining unit 130 refers to the video information 152 and determines that the time segment and scene 1 match.

Note that although FIG. 9 illustrates, as an example, a case where the continuous playback time from the start point of the video (i.e., playback time 0:00) exceeds a predetermined time, the present invention is applicable to such a configuration. Without limitation, even if the continuous playback time from a point in the middle of the video (i.e., a point in time when the playback point is greater than 0:00) exceeds a predetermined time, the user may It is determined that the person has a high interest in the section. Furthermore, the predetermined time used as a threshold for determining user interest may not be a common value, but may be set for each video or for each user. For example, for each video, a statistical value such as the average value of the continuous playback time that is viewed without operating the progress bar may be measured, and the predetermined time may be set as the average value for each video + a predetermined value. Alternatively, for example, statistics such as the average continuous playback time of videos without operating the progress bar can be measured for each user, and the predetermined time can be set as the average value for each user + a predetermined value. good. Thereby, a user's interest can be determined using a threshold value according to a video or a tendency for each user.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of how the interest determining unit 130 determines the user's interest. FIG. 10 shows, for example, that the user changes the portrait mode to landscape mode by changing the attitude of the terminal device 10 at the playback time point 2:00 of a video with video ID "0001", and the video is displayed until the playback time 3:00. This shows an example of playing. At this time, the interest determining unit 130 determines that the user is viewing the video in landscape mode, that is, on a larger screen, in the time segment from the playback time 2:00 to the playback time 3:00. is determined to have a high interest in the time segment from the playback time point 2:00 to the playback time point 3:00. Next, as in the case of FIG. 7, the interest determining unit 130 refers to the video information 152 and determines that the time segment and scene 2 match.

Note that in the above explanation, the interest determination unit 130 measures the time segment in which the video was played in landscape mode, and determines the measured time segment as the time segment in which the user is interested. The invention is not limited to such configurations. For example, the interest determination unit 130 determines that the user is interested in a time segment in which a video was played in landscape mode after the user changed portrait mode to landscape mode and switched the screen lock setting from OFF to ON. The determination may be made as a time section. This is because if the portrait mode is changed to landscape mode due to the attitude of the terminal device 10 changing against the user's intention, video playback in landscape mode may not necessarily be what the user intended. That's because there isn't. By using the time period in which a video was played in landscape mode after the screen lock setting was switched from OFF to ON as a determination criterion, unintended mode changes by the user can be excluded from interest determination.

Further, in addition to changing the setting from portrait mode to landscape mode, the interest determining unit 130 may determine a time period in which the user is interested based on other setting changes. For example, if the resolution of the video is changed to a higher value than the default value (for example, 640 x 360), the interest determination unit 130 determines that the time segment in which the video was played at the high resolution is the time period in which the user is interested. It may be determined as a division.

For example, if the playback speed of the video is changed to a value lower than the default value (for example, 1x speed), the interest determination unit 130 may determine whether the user is interested in the time segment in which the video was played at the low playback speed. It may be determined as a time section having . Further, for example, when the subtitle setting of a video is switched from OFF to ON, the interest determining unit 130 determines the time segment in which the video was played with the subtitle setting ON as a time segment in which the user is interested. It's okay.

When the interest determining unit 130 determines that the user is interested in a certain time segment of the video being played, the information providing unit 140 provides the terminal device 10 with a link to related information related to the time segment. provide. Here, the related information means, for example, other videos on video distribution services and articles on external sites. When the terminal device 10 receives a link to related information from the information providing unit 140, the video viewing application 181 displays the provided link to the related information, superimposed on the video being played, for example.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a scene/related information correspondence table 156 used to determine related information provided by the information providing unit 140. As shown in FIG. 11, the scene/related information correspondence table 156 associates information such as scenes, link destinations, and link destination titles with corresponding IDs.

A scene is information that defines conditions for providing related information. For example, in the case of the record with the correspondence ID "0101" in FIG. 11, it is specified that related information is provided in correspondence to a scene that includes the word "exterior" in a video of the category "car". The link destination is information indicating a link to other videos on the video distribution service or related information such as articles on external sites. The link destination title is information indicating the title of related information. The link destination and link destination title may be set in advance by the operator of the video distribution server 100, or the video distribution server 100 may, for example, search for videos in the video distribution service using words included in the scene as keywords. , videos with high evaluations such as the number of high evaluations and the length of stay by users may be automatically set. Further, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the scene/related information correspondence table 156 that associates scenes with related information is described in a table format, but more generally, the information providing unit 140 corresponds to scenes. It is sufficient to have a configuration for determining the relevant information to be provided.

When the interest determining unit 130 determines that the time segment in which the user is interested matches a specific scene in the video, the information providing unit 140 uses keywords included in the scene to By searching the scene/related information correspondence table 156, related information to be provided to the terminal device 10 is specified. For example, in the case of the examples shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, it is determined that the time segment from the playback time of 2:00 to the playback time of 3:00 of the video with video ID "0001" matches the exterior scene, and the scene/ Since the record with the correspondence ID "0101" in the related information correspondence table 156 is specified to include the word "exterior" as a scene, the information providing unit 140 provides the related information corresponding to the record with the correspondence ID "0101". decide to provide.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which the terminal device 10 displays a link to related information provided by the information providing unit 140. In FIG. 12, symbol A8 represents a link to related information displayed by the video viewing application 181 of the terminal device 10. As shown in FIG. 12, since the interest determining unit 130 has determined that the user is interested in the exterior of the car, the information providing unit 140 accordingly provides a link to related information regarding the exterior of the car. are doing. When the user clicks on a link, the video viewing application 181 displays a related video at the link destination, or displays an article on an external site by calling the web browser installed in the terminal device 10, for example. As a result, it is possible to provide related information related to scenes that are assumed to be of interest to the user, thereby increasing the convenience of viewing content for the user.

According to the process described above, when the interest determination unit 130 determines that the user is interested in a certain time segment, the interest determination unit 130 determines whether or not the time segment matches a specific scene in the video. The information providing unit 140 provides related information corresponding to the matched scene. However, information about scenes is not necessarily set in videos uploaded to video distribution services, and scenes cannot always be set appropriately using machine learning techniques such as deep learning.

Therefore, when the interest determination unit 130 further determines that the user has an interest in a certain time section, it recognizes an object photographed in the time section by performing image analysis for the time section. More specifically, for example, the interest determination unit 130 extracts a plurality of frames from among the time segments in which it is determined that the user is interested, and applies, for example, deep learning or the like to the extracted plurality of frames. machine learning techniques to recognize objects contained in each frame. The interest determination unit 130 determines, among the recognized objects, objects that are common across a plurality of frames as objects in which the user is interested.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining, by the interest determination unit 130, objects in which a user is interested. In FIG. 13, it is assumed that the interest determination unit 130 determines that the user is interested in the time segment from the reproduction time point 0:30 to the reproduction time point 1:30 of the video being played. Next, the interest determination unit 130 extracts a predetermined number of frames (for example, every 10 seconds) from the time segment, and recognizes objects included in each frame. In the case of FIG. 13, the interest determination unit 130 recognizes the seat in each extracted frame, and further recognizes that the seat is a common object across multiple frames. Thereby, the interest determining unit 130 determines the seat as an object in which the user is interested.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an object/related information correspondence table 158 used to determine related information provided by the information providing unit 140. As shown in FIG. 14, the object/related information correspondence table 158 associates information such as objects, link destinations, link destination titles, etc. with corresponding IDs.

An object is information that defines conditions for providing related information. For example, in the case of the record with the correspondence ID "0201" in FIG. 14, it is specified that related information is provided in correspondence with an object similar to a car seat. The link destination is information indicating a link to other videos on the video distribution service or related information such as articles on external sites. The link destination title is information indicating the title of related information. As in the case of FIG. 11, the link destination and the link destination title may be set in advance by the operator of the video distribution server 100, or the video distribution server 100 may use the name of the object as a keyword for the video distribution service. It is also possible to search for videos within the website and automatically set videos with high ratings by users, high ratings, etc. Further, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the object/related information correspondence table 158 that associates objects with related information is described in a table format, but more generally, the information providing unit 140 corresponds to objects. It is sufficient to have a configuration for determining the relevant information to be provided.

When the interest determining unit 130 determines that the user is interested in a specific object, the information providing unit 140 searches the object/related information correspondence table 158 using a keyword indicating the object. Related information to be provided to the terminal device 10 is specified. For example, in the example of FIG. 13, the interest determining unit 130 determines that the user is interested in car seats, so the information providing unit 140 uses “seat” or “car seat” as a keyword to respond to object/related information. The table 158 is searched and it is determined to provide the related information corresponding to the record with the correspondence ID "0201".

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another example of a screen on which the terminal device 10 displays the related information provided by the information providing unit 140. As shown in FIG. 12, since the interest determining unit 130 has determined that the user is interested in car seats, the information providing unit 140 accordingly provides a link to related information regarding car seats. are doing. As a result, it is possible to provide related information related to objects that are assumed to be of interest to the user, thereby increasing the convenience of viewing content for the user.

The information providing unit 140 may further determine the related information to be provided to the terminal device 10 based on the user's attribute information. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of user information 160. As shown in FIG. 16, the user information 160 is information in which a user ID is associated with information such as an email address, telephone number, registration date, interests, history of use of a car sales site, and the like.

The e-mail address and telephone number are the e-mail address and telephone number as contact information set by the user when registering with the video distribution service. The registration date is information indicating the date when the user registered with the video distribution service. Interest is information indicating the user's interest, which is set by the user when registering with the video distribution service. The car sales site usage history is information indicating the usage history of a user using a car sales site linked with a video distribution service.

The information providing unit 140 may determine the related information to be provided to the terminal device 10 based on, for example, information related to interests stored in the user information 160 or the usage history of a car sales site. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining related information to be provided by the information providing unit 140 based on the user information 160. 17(a) represents a link to related information provided to the user with user ID "AAA" in FIG. 16, and FIG. 17(b) represents a link to related information provided to the user with user ID "BBB" in FIG. 16. Represents a link to related information.

For example, when the interest determining unit 130 determines that the user is interested in the object of “ZZ model of company XX,” the information providing unit 140 may include a keyword indicating the object of “ZZ model of company XX,” and the user. The object/related information correspondence table 158 may be searched based on the set keyword indicating interest to determine the related information to be provided to the user. In the case of FIG. 16, the user with the user ID "AAA" has set "purchasing a car" as an interest, so the information providing unit 140 combines "ZZ model of company XX" and "purchasing a car" to create an object/ The related information correspondence table 158 is searched and, for example, a link to a store selling "ZZ model from company XX" is provided as related information. On the other hand, since the user with the user ID "BBB" has set "Plastic Models" as an interest, the information providing unit 140 combines "XX Company ZZ Model" and "Plastic Models" and displays the object/related information correspondence table 158. For example, a link to a plastic model video of "ZZ Model by XX Company" is provided as related information.

In addition, for example, when the interest determining unit 130 determines that the user is interested in the object of “ZZ model of company XX,” the information providing unit 140 sends a keyword indicating the object of “ZZ model of company XX,” The related information to be provided to the user may be determined based on the user's usage history of the automobile sales site. In the case of Figure 16, the user with the user ID "AAA" has a history of purchasing a new car for 8.5 million yen as a history of using a car sales site, while the user with the user ID "BBB" has a history of purchasing a new car for 1.2 million yen. Have a history of purchasing cars. Therefore, the information providing unit 140 calculates, for example, the difference between the price of "XX company ZZ model" and the payment amount in the car sales site usage history, and if the calculated difference is within the threshold, the information provider 140 sends the information to the dealer. Links may be provided as related information. In other words, the related information to be provided may be switched depending on whether the difference calculated for each user is within a threshold value. In this way, by providing related information according to the user's attribute information, it is possible to improve the convenience of viewing content for the user.

The information providing unit 140 may further determine the timing for providing the related information to the terminal device 10 based on the history of operations performed by the user on the terminal device 10. That is, the information providing unit 140 provides the relevant information at a timing when it is assumed that the user is likely to refer to the relevant information, based on statistical information regarding the operation details of the terminal device 10 performed by the user. You may decide.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the statistical information 162. The statistical information 162 is recorded for each user, and as shown in FIG. 18, the statistical information 162 includes information such as video ID, click playback point, link destination, link destination title, etc., associated with the timestamp. It is something that was given. The click playback time point indicates the time point at which the video is played back when the user clicks on a link to related information provided by the information providing unit 140 when viewing the video corresponding to the video ID.

For example, based on the timestamp of the statistical information 162, the information providing unit 140 may indicate that the user links to related information frequently (for example, the total number of clicks) during a specific time period (for example, from 20:00 to 23:00). If it is determined that the user has clicked (e.g., 80% or more), a link to related information may be provided to the user only if the video is played during the relevant time period. For example, the information providing unit 140 may also determine whether the user frequently clicks a link to related information at a specific playback point (for example, at the end of a video or at a break between scenes) based on the click playback time point of the statistical information 162. If it is determined that the video has been played back, a link to the related information may be provided to the user only when the playback point reaches that point when playing another video. In this way, by providing related information at a timing that corresponds to the operation history of each individual user, it is possible to further improve the convenience of viewing content for the user.

Next, with reference to FIG. 19, a flow of processing executed by cooperation between the video distribution server 100 and the video viewing application 181 of the terminal device 10 will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing executed by collaboration between the video distribution server 100 and the video viewing application 181.

First, the user starts the video viewing application 181 by clicking, for example, an icon representing the video viewing application 181 on the terminal device 10 (step S10). Next, the user specifies, for example, the URL of the video that the user wishes to view on the video viewing application 181, and the video viewing application 181 converts the URL information of the video specified by the user into the video distribution request information. The video is transmitted to the video distribution server 100 as (step S12).

Next, the video distribution server 100 searches the video information 152 based on the received URL information of the video, and obtains the video corresponding to the URL information. The video distribution server 100 distributes the acquired video to the video viewing application 181, for example, in a streaming format (step S14). Next, the video viewing application 181 plays the distributed video (step S16). Next, the video viewing application 181 receives operations from the user (for example, operation of a progress bar, operation of changing playback settings, etc.) while playing the video (step S18).

Next, the video viewing application 181 reflects the operation received from the user in video playback, and transmits information indicating the content of the operation to the video distribution server 100 (step S20). Next, the video distribution server 100 stores the received user's operation details in the operation history information 154, and determines the time period in which the user is interested based on the operation details (step S22). Next, the video distribution server 100 identifies a scene or an object in the time segment that matches the time segment determined to be of interest to the user (step S24).

Next, the video distribution server 100 determines related information to be provided to the video viewing application 181 based on the specified scene or object, taking into account the user information 160 representing the user's attributes, and adds information to the determined related information. The link is provided to the video viewing application 181 (step S26). At this time, the video distribution server 100 also provides the video viewing application 181 with information specifying the timing for displaying the related information on the video viewing application 181 based on the statistical information 162. Next, the video viewing application 181 displays a link to the provided related information superimposed on the video (step S28).

Next, the video viewing application 181 receives a click on a link to related information from the user, displays the linked video, or displays an article on an external site by calling the web browser installed in the terminal device 10. is displayed (step S30). At the same time, the video viewing application 181 transmits click information indicating that a link to related information has been clicked (including information such as a timestamp and the playback point of the clicked video in addition to the fact that the link was clicked) to the video. It is transmitted to the viewing application 181 (step S32). Next, the video distribution server 100 records the received click information in the statistical information 162. This completes the processing of this flowchart.

According to the process described above, scenes and objects that are assumed to be of interest to the user are determined based on the contents of the operations performed by the user while watching a video, and the determined scenes and objects are Provide relevant information to the user. Thereby, it is possible to further improve the convenience of viewing the content for the user.

Although the mode for implementing the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments in any way, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. can be added.

10 terminal device 12 communication unit 14 input/output unit 16 control unit 18 storage unit 100 video distribution server 110 acquisition unit 120 video distribution unit 130 interest determination unit 140 information provision unit 150 storage unit 152 video information 154 operation history information 156 scene/related information Correspondence table 158 Object/related information correspondence table 160 User information 162 Statistical information 181 Video viewing application

Claims (8)

Determining whether the user is interested in a certain time section of the video based on the operation status of the terminal device by the user while the terminal device held by the user is playing the video. Interest determination department,
an information providing unit that provides relevant information related to the time section to the terminal device when it is determined that the user is interested in the time section;
The operation status includes operation details on an operation unit for performing an operation to specify a playback start point of the video,
The interest determining section determines that the user has a high interest in the time section when determining that the user is repeatedly playing a certain time section of the video by operating the operation section. do,
Information provision device. Determining whether the user is interested in a certain time section of the video based on the operation status of the terminal device by the user while the terminal device held by the user is playing the video. An interest determination department,
an information providing unit that provides relevant information related to the time section to the terminal device when it is determined that the user is interested in the time section;
The operation status includes information regarding whether or not an operation is performed on an operation unit for specifying a playback start point of the video,
If the interest determining unit determines that the user has not operated the operating unit for a predetermined period of time or more, the interest determining unit determines that the user has high interest in a time period in which the user has not operated the operating unit for the predetermined period or more. It is determined that the
Information provision device. Determining whether the user is interested in a certain time section of the video based on the operation status of the terminal device by the user while the terminal device held by the user is playing the video. An interest determination department,
an information providing unit that provides relevant information related to the time section to the terminal device when it is determined that the user is interested in the time section;
The operation status includes operation details on the operation unit for setting the screen display of the video to either portrait or landscape,
When the interest determination unit determines that the user operates the operation unit to set the screen display of the video to horizontal, the interest determination unit determines that the user operates the operation unit to set the screen display of the video to horizontal. determining that there is a high level of interest in a time segment of the video;
Information provision device. An application program executed on a terminal device having an operation reception unit that accepts operations by a user and a playback unit that plays back a video.
The terminal device is configured to determine whether or not the user is interested in a certain time period of the video based on the operation status of the terminal device by the user while the playback unit is playing the video. let them judge,
If it is determined that the user has an interest in the time slot, causing the terminal device to provide relevant information related to the time slot;
application program. The operation status includes operation details on an operation unit for performing an operation to specify a playback start point of the video,
In the terminal device, the user operates the operation unit to specify a certain point in time of the video as the playback start point, and plays a certain time section of the video starting from the point in time without skipping. If it is determined that the user has a high interest in the time section,
The application program according to claim 4 . The operation status includes operation details on an operation unit for performing an operation to specify a playback start point of the video,
causing the terminal device to determine that the user has a high interest in the time section if it is determined that the user is repeatedly reproducing a certain time section of the video by operating the operation unit; ,
The application program according to claim 4 or 5 . The operation status includes information regarding whether or not an operation is performed on an operation unit for specifying a playback start point of the video,
If the terminal device determines that the user has not operated the operating section for a predetermined period of time or more, the terminal device indicates that there is a high level of interest in a time period in which the user has not operated the operating section for the predetermined period of time or more. to determine that it has
The application program according to any one of claims 4 to 6 . The operation status includes operation details on the operation unit for setting the screen display of the video to either portrait or landscape,
If the user operates the operation unit on the terminal device and determines that the screen display of the video is set to horizontal, the user selects the video whose screen display is set to horizontal. determine that the person has a high interest in the time section of
The application program according to any one of claims 4 to 7 .

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