JP7482284B2 - Program, information processing method, terminal, and system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing method and an information processing program.

Technology has been proposed for instant messengers that allow multiple users to send and receive messages between their respective terminals (see, for example, JP 2014-160467 A). In such technology, it is desirable, for example, for multiple users to be able to easily share information.

JP 2014-160467 A

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a program executed by a terminal of a user included in a group including a first user and a second user includes: based on a first talk room selected by the user to display content sent to the group, displaying the first talk room on a display unit of the terminal; displaying a first content among a plurality of contents sent to the group in the first talk room; based on an input by the user for the first content displayed in the first talk room, transmitting a second content input to the terminal and a third content including at least a portion of the first content sent to the group to the first user; displaying a second talk room including the first user and the user on the display unit; and displaying the second content sent to the first user and the third content sent to the first user in the second talk room. The terminal executes the following operations: displaying the first talk room based on a user's selection of a first talk room, and controlling by a control unit of the terminal to display in at least the first talk room, among the multiple pieces of content sent to the group, the content which was most recently sent to the group; displaying a second talk room based on a user's selection of a second talk room, and based on a user's input for a third content displayed in the second talk room, if display of the first content in the first talk room is permitted, acquiring a first content from the multiple pieces of content and controlling by the control unit to display the acquired first content in the first talk room displayed on the display unit; and if display of the first content in the first talk room is not permitted, displaying the third content.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, an information processing method for a terminal of a user included in a group including a first user and a second user includes: based on a selection by the user of a first talk room that displays content transmitted to the group, displaying the first talk room on a display unit of the terminal, and displaying a first content among a plurality of contents transmitted to the group in the first talk room; based on an input by the user for the first content displayed in the first talk room, a second content input to the terminal and a third content including at least a part of the first content transmitted to the group are transmitted to the first user; displaying a second talk room including the first user and the user on the display unit, and displaying the second content transmitted to the first user and the third content transmitted to the first user on the second talk room. the control unit of the terminal controls at least the first talk room to display, among the plurality of pieces of content sent to the group, the content that was most recently sent to the group; the control unit of the terminal controls the terminal to display, among the plurality of pieces of content sent to the group, at least the first talk room; the control unit of the terminal controls the terminal to display, among the plurality of pieces of content sent to the group, the first talk room to display, based on a user's input for a third content displayed in the second talk room, a first content from the plurality of pieces of content, and to display the acquired first content in the first talk room displayed on the display unit; and, if display of the first content in the first talk room is not permitted, to display the third content.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a terminal of a user included in a group including a first user and a second user displays a first talk room based on a first talk room selected by the user to display content transmitted to the group, displays a first content among a plurality of contents transmitted to the group in the first talk room, transmits a second content input to the terminal and a third content including at least a portion of the first content transmitted to the group to the first user based on an input by the user for the first content displayed in the first talk room, displays a second talk room including the first user and the user, and displays the second content transmitted to the first user and the third content transmitted to the first user in the second talk room. the control unit is configured to display the first talk room in the group; and to display the first talk room based on a user's selection of a first talk room, and to control so that among the plurality of pieces of content sent to the group, the content which was most recently sent to the group is displayed in at least the first talk room; to display the second talk room based on a user's selection of a second talk room, and based on a user's input for a third content displayed in the second talk room, if display of the first content in the first talk room is permitted, to obtain a first content from the plurality of pieces of content and to display the obtained first content in the first talk room displayed on the display unit; and to display the third content if display of the first content in the first talk room is not permitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an information processing method according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing talk room information and content information. 4 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the first embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a process for generating quoted content. FIG. 13 illustrates a process for accepting a quotation request. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a process related to generation of quoted content, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a process related to transmission of quoted content. 13A is a diagram showing processing relating to setting of a destination of quoted content, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing processing after transmission of quoted content. 10 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to a second embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a process for displaying candidates for the first content. 13 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13A is a diagram showing a process related to display when quotation is permitted, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a process related to display when quotation is not permitted. 13 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the fourth embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the fifth embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an information processing method according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing talk room information. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an information processing method according to the eighth embodiment. 23 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the eighth embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a process relating to display of a third image. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an information processing method according to the ninth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a process relating to display of a second image and a third image. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a process for displaying a second image and a third image. 23 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to a tenth embodiment. 23 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to an eleventh embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a process related to display of the second image when display of the third image is not permitted. 23 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to a twelfth embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a process for displaying a second image including content in which display of a third image is permitted, and a process for displaying a second image including content in which display of a third image is not permitted. A diagram showing an information processing method according to a thirteenth embodiment. A diagram showing an information processing method according to a fourteenth embodiment.

<Compliance with legal matters>
Please note that the disclosure described in this specification is subject to compliance with the laws of the country or region in which the technology disclosed herein is implemented, including but not limited to, communication secrecy.

Embodiments of the information processing method and information processing program disclosed herein will be described with reference to the drawings.

<System Configuration>
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the communication system 1 includes a server 10 and a plurality of terminals 20. Each of the plurality of terminals 20 is connected to the server 10 via a network 30. The network 30 may be a part of the communication system 1, or may be a part of a system different from the communication system 1. The server 10 provides a service for realizing transmission and reception of messages (appropriately referred to as content) between the terminals 20 to the terminals 20 owned by users via the network 30.

In FIG. 1, the multiple terminals 20 include terminal 20A, terminal 20B, terminal 20C, and terminal 20D. In the following description, when the terminals 20 are to be distinguished from one another as appropriate, the terminals are represented by the symbols 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D. Note that the number of terminals 20 connected to the network 30 is not limited to the number shown in FIG. 1, and may be any number. Also, the number of servers 10 connected to the network 30 is not limited to the number shown in FIG. 1, and may be any number.

The network 30 serves to connect one or more terminals 20 to one or more servers 10. In other words, the network 30 refers to a communication network that provides a connection path so that the terminals 20 can transmit and receive data after connecting to the server 10.

One or more portions of network 30 may or may not be a wired or wireless network. Network 30 may be, for example and without limitation, an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular network, an integrated service digital networks (ISDN), a wireless LAN, a long term evolution (LTE), a code division multiple access (CDMA), a cellular network, a cellular telephone ... access (referred to as CDMA as appropriate), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and satellite communication may be included in one or a combination of two or more of the following communication formats. The network 30 may be composed of one network or multiple networks.

The terminal 20 may be any type of information processing terminal capable of implementing the functions described in each embodiment. Examples of the terminal 20 include, but are not limited to, a smartphone, a mobile phone (feature phone), a computer (such as, but not limited to, a desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), a media computer platform (such as, but not limited to, a set-top box or digital video recorder that receives signals from cable television broadcasting, satellite broadcasting, terrestrial television broadcasting, or IP broadcasting and converts them into video signals), a handheld computer device (such as, but not limited to, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a communication terminal with an installed e-mail client, etc.), a wearable terminal (such as, but not limited to, a glasses-type device, a watch-type device, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms. The terminal 20 may also be expressed as an information processing terminal.

At least one of the multiple terminals 20 may have the same configuration as the other terminals, or may have a different configuration from the other terminals. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of terminal 20A as an example of the configuration of terminal 20. At least one of terminals 20B, 20C, and 20D may have the same configuration as terminal 20A, or may have a different configuration from terminal 20A.

In the following description, information related to a user in a specified service that is associated with the terminal 20 or the user of the terminal 20 will be referred to as user information. Note that user information is information about a user that is associated with an account used by the user in a specified service. User information may include information input by the user, or may include information provided by the specified service. User information includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one item of information among multiple items of information, such as the user's name, the user's icon image, the user's age, the user's gender, the user's address, the user's hobbies and interests, and the user's identifier. User information may include information that is different from the multiple items of information described above and that is associated with the user.

The server 10 has a function of providing a predetermined service to the terminal 20. The server 10 may be any device that can realize the functions described in each embodiment as long as it is an information processing device. The server 10 includes, but is not limited to, a server device, a computer (for example, but not limited to, a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, etc.), a media computer platform (for example, but not limited to, a set-top box that receives at least one signal of cable television broadcasting, satellite broadcasting, terrestrial television broadcasting, and IP broadcasting and converts it into a video signal, a digital video recorder), a handheld computer device (for example, but not limited to, a PDA, a communication terminal with an installed email client, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms. The server 10 may also be expressed as an information processing device. The server 10 and the terminal 20 do not need to be distinguished by type of hardware, and may be expressed as, for example, an information processing device, or may be expressed by other names.

<Hardware Configuration>
1, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of each device included in the communication system 1. In the following description, hardware will be referred to as HW where appropriate.

(1) Device hardware configuration

The terminal 20 includes a processing unit 21, a communication I/F 22, an input/output unit 23, and a memory unit 24. The HW components of the terminal 20 are connected to each other via a bus B2, for example and not for limitation.

The communication I/F 22 is a communication interface that transmits and receives various data via the network 30. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication can be performed. The communication I/F 22 has a function of performing communication with the server 10 via the network 30. The communication I/F 22 transmits various data to the server 10 according to instructions from the processing unit 21. The communication I/F 22 also receives various data transmitted from the server 10 and transmits it to the processing unit 21. The communication I/F 22 may be expressed as a communication unit. Furthermore, when the communication I/F 22 is configured with a physically structured circuit, it may be expressed as a communication circuit.

The input/output unit 23 includes, by way of example and not limitation, an input unit 23A that accepts input to the terminal 20, and an output unit 23B that outputs the processing results processed by the terminal 20.

The input unit 23A is realized by any one or a combination of two or more of all types of devices that can receive input from outside the terminal 20 and transmit information related to the input to the processing unit 21. The input unit 23A includes, but is not limited to, at least one of hardware keys such as a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a touchpad, an operation unit such as a touch panel, a camera, a microphone, and other input devices. The input unit 23A in FIG. 1 includes the input unit 25, the microphone 26, and the camera 27.

The input unit 25 is an operation unit that accepts input by being operated by a user. The input unit 25 includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of a touch panel operation unit, a touch pad, a hardware key, and a pointing device. By way of example and not limitation, the input unit 25 detects that a user's finger or the like has come into contact with the input unit 25, and transmits the detection result to the processing unit 21.

The microphone 26 is a voice input unit used to input voice data. By way of example and not limitation, the microphone 26 converts the input voice into digital voice data. The terminal 20 may transmit the voice data acquired by the microphone 26 to the processing unit 21, or may store the voice data in the storage unit 24. The processing unit 21 may recognize the voice input to the microphone 26, and may acquire commands or information previously associated with the recognized voice. The terminal 20 may accept input of operations by voice.

The camera 27 is an imaging unit that performs imaging. By way of example and not limitation, the camera 27 generates image data in a digital format as an imaging result. The camera 27 may acquire moving images by repeatedly acquiring still images. The terminal 20 may transmit the image data acquired by the camera 27 to the processing unit 21, or may store the image data in the storage unit 24. The processing unit 21 may recognize the image acquired by the camera 27, and may acquire commands or information that are previously associated with the recognized image. The terminal 20 may accept input of operations via moving images.

The input unit 23A may not include at least one of the input unit 25, the microphone 26, and the camera 27. The input unit 23A may include a device different from the input unit 25, the microphone 26, and the camera 27 (for example, and not limited to, various sensors such as an acceleration sensor). At least one of the input unit 25, the microphone 26, and the camera 27 may be an external device different from the terminal 20. The input/output unit 23 may include an input interface such as an input terminal that connects to the external device. For example, the input/output unit 23 may not include the microphone 26, but may include an input terminal that is connected to the output terminal of an external microphone. The input/output unit 23 may not include the input interface.

The output unit 23B is realized by any one or a combination of two or more of all kinds of devices capable of outputting the processing results processed by the processing unit 21. The output unit includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of an audio output unit that outputs sound such as a speaker, a display unit that displays an image, an optical output unit that outputs light such as a lens (by way of example and not limitation, three dimensions (referred to as 3D output, hologram output) or a projector), a printer, and other output devices. The output unit 23B in FIG. 1 includes a display unit 28 and a speaker 29.

The display unit 28 is realized by one or a combination of two or more of all kinds of devices capable of displaying according to the display data written to the frame buffer. The display unit 28 includes, by way of example and without limitation, at least one of a liquid crystal display, an organic electroluminescence display (OELD as appropriate), an electrophoretic display, a plasma display, a head mounted display (HMD as appropriate), a projector, and other display devices.

The display unit 28 may be a device that displays on an object such as a screen or a screen, or may be a device such as a hologram that displays in air or other gas, or in a vacuum. The display unit 28 may also be a device that displays an image that is viewed two-dimensionally, or may be a device that displays an image that is viewed three-dimensionally. The display unit 28 may display information including at least one of shapes, patterns, figures, symbols, and text as an image.

The input unit 25 and the display unit 28 are, by way of example and not limitation, touch panels. In this case, the input unit 25 includes an operation unit of the touch panel, and the display unit 28 includes a display area of the touch panel. The display unit 28 has approximately the same size and shape as the input unit 25, and is stacked and integrated with the input unit 25. Note that the input unit 25 and the display unit 28 do not have to be touch panels, and the input unit 25 and the display unit 28 may be separate.

The speaker 29 is used to output audio data. By way of example and not limitation, the speaker 29 converts digital audio data into an analog electrical signal and reproduces sound by vibrating an object using the electrical signal.

The output unit 23B may not include one or both of the display unit 28 and the speaker 29. The output unit 23B may include a device different from the display unit 28 and the speaker 29. One or both of the display unit 28 and the speaker 29 may be external devices different from the terminal 20. The input/output unit 23 may include an output interface such as an output terminal that connects to the external device. For example, the input/output unit 23 may not include the speaker 29, but may include an output terminal that is connected to an input terminal of an external speaker. The input/output unit 23 may not include the output interface.

The processing unit 21 executes at least one of the following, by way of example and not limitation: a control process for controlling each component of the terminal 20, various arithmetic processes, and various image processes. The processing unit 21 has a circuit that is physically structured to execute functions realized by codes or instructions contained in a program, and by way of example and not limitation, is realized by a data processing device built into hardware. Therefore, the processing unit 21 may be expressed as a processing circuit, or may be expressed by a name different from a processing circuit.

The processing unit 21 includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and other circuits. The processing unit 21 may include a general-purpose processor, or may include a processing circuit or embedded system that performs only predetermined processing.

The memory unit 24 has a function of storing various programs and various data required for the operation of the terminal 20. The memory unit 24 includes at least one of various storage media such as a hard disk drive (HDD as appropriate), a solid state drive (SSD as appropriate), a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM as appropriate), and a read only memory (ROM as appropriate), but is not limited thereto. The memory unit 24 may be expressed as a memory, or may be expressed by a name other than a memory.

The terminal 20 stores the program P1 in the memory unit 24, and by executing this program P1, the processing unit 21 executes the processing of each unit included in the processing unit 21. In other words, the program P1 stored in the memory unit 24 causes the terminal 20 to realize each function executed by the processing unit 21. The program P1 causes the processing unit 21 (a CPU, a computer, as an example and not a limitation) of the terminal 20 to execute processing. Furthermore, this program P1 may be expressed as a program module, or may be expressed with a name different from a program module.

The terminal 20 may not include some of the above HW components. The terminal 20 may also include components that are different from the above HW components.

(2) HW Configuration of Server The server 10 includes a processing unit 11, a communication I/F 12, a storage unit 13, and an input/output unit 14. The components of the HW of the server 10 are connected to each other via a bus B1, for example and not for limitation. Note that the HW of the server 10 does not necessarily include all the components as the configuration of the HW of the server 10. For example and not for limitation, the HW of the server 10 may or may not be configured such that at least a part of the input/output unit 14 is detachable.

The processing unit 11 executes at least one of the following, by way of example and not limitation: a control process for controlling each component of the server 10, various arithmetic processes, and various image processes. The processing unit 11 has a circuit that is physically structured to execute functions realized by codes or instructions contained in a program, and by way of example and not limitation, is realized by a data processing device built into hardware. Therefore, the processing unit 11 may be expressed as a processing circuit, or may be expressed by a name different from a processing circuit.

The processing unit 11 includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of a CPU, a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC, an FPGA, and other circuits. The processing unit 11 may include a general-purpose processor, or may include a processing circuit or an embedded system that performs only predetermined processing.

The communication I/F 12 is a communication interface that transmits and receives various data via the network 30. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication can be performed. The communication I/F 12 has a function of performing communication with the terminal 20 via the network 30. The communication I/F 12 transmits various data to the terminal 20 according to instructions from the processing unit 11. The communication I/F 12 also receives various data transmitted from the terminal 20 and transmits it to the processing unit 11. The communication I/F 12 may also be expressed as a communication unit. If the communication I/F 12 is configured with a physically structured circuit, it may also be expressed as a communication circuit.

The storage unit 13 has a function of storing various programs and various data required for the operation of the server 10. The storage unit 13 includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of various storage media such as an HDD, an SSD, a flash memory, a RAM, and a ROM. The storage unit 13 may be expressed as a memory, or may be expressed by a name other than a memory.

The input/output unit 14 includes, by way of example and not limitation, an input unit 15 that accepts input to the server 10, and an output unit 16 that outputs the processing results processed by the server 10. The input unit 15 is realized by any one of all types of devices that can accept input from outside the server 10 and transmit information related to the input to the processing unit 11, or a combination of two or more of them. The input unit 15 includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of hardware keys such as a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a touchpad, an operation unit such as a touch panel, a camera, a microphone, and other input devices. The output unit 16 is realized by any one of all types of devices that can output the processing results processed by the processing unit 21, or a combination of two or more of them. The output unit 16 includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of an audio output unit that outputs audio such as a speaker, a display unit that displays an image, a light output unit that outputs light such as a lens (for example and not limitation, 3D output, hologram output) or a projector, a printer, and other output devices.

The output unit 16 includes a display unit 17, for example and not for limitation. The display unit 17 is realized by one or a combination of two or more of all types of devices that can display according to the display data written to the frame buffer. The display unit 17 includes at least one of a liquid crystal display, an OELD, an electrophoretic display, a plasma display, an HMD, a projector, and other display devices, for example and not for limitation. The display unit 17 may be a device that displays on an object such as a screen or a screen, or a device such as a hologram that displays in air or other gas or in a vacuum space. The display unit 17 may also be a device that displays an image that is viewed two-dimensionally, or a device that displays an image that is viewed three-dimensionally. The display unit 17 may display information including at least one of shapes, patterns, figures, symbols, and text as an image.

The input/output unit 14 may not include one or both of the input unit 15 and the output unit 16. Furthermore, the input/output unit 14 may not include the input unit 15, but may include an interface to which the input unit 15 is connected. The input/output unit 14 may not include the above-mentioned interface. Furthermore, the input/output unit 14 may not include the output unit 16, but may include an interface to which the output unit 16 is connected. The input/output unit 14 may not include the above-mentioned interface.

The server 10 stores the program P2 in the memory unit 13, and by executing this program P2, the processing unit 11 executes the processing of each unit included in the processing unit 11. In other words, the program P2 stored in the memory unit 13 causes the server 10 to realize each function executed by the processing unit 11. The program P2 causes the processing unit 11 of the server 10 (for example, a CPU, a computer, but not limited to this) to execute processing. This program P2 may or may not be expressed as a program module.

In each embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing unit 11 of the server 10 is a CPU, and the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 is a CPU. In this case, the server 10 realizes the information processing method in the server 10 by the CPU of the server 10 executing a program P1. The program P1 causes the CPU of the server 10 to function as each functional unit of the server 10. Also, the terminal 20 realizes the information processing method in the terminal 20 by the CPU of the terminal 20 executing a program P2. The program P2 causes the CPU of the terminal 20 to function as each functional unit of the terminal 20. The above functional units include, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of a control unit, a calculation unit, and an image processing unit.

In addition, one or both of the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 and the processing unit 11 of the server 10 may realize at least a part of the processing by a logic circuit or a dedicated circuit, which is hardware formed in an integrated circuit (IC) or a large scale integrated circuit (LSI). The logic circuit or dedicated circuit may be realized by one integrated circuit or multiple integrated circuits. The multiple processes shown in each embodiment may be realized by one integrated circuit or multiple integrated circuits. Depending on the degree of integration, an LSI may be called a VLSI, a super LSI, an ultra LSI, or the like. In addition, one or both of the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 and the processing unit 11 of the server 10 may realize at least a part of the processing by a CPU having a processing circuit and the logic circuit or dedicated circuit. One or both of the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 and the processing unit 11 of the server 10 may not have the logic circuit or dedicated circuit.

In addition, the program according to the present disclosure (for example, but not limited to, a software program, a computer program, or a program module) may be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or in another state. The storage medium can store the program in a "non-transitory tangible medium." In addition, the program according to the present disclosure may be for realizing part of the functions of each embodiment, may be for realizing all of the functions of each embodiment, or may include functions different from the functions of each embodiment. The program according to the present disclosure may be a so-called difference file (difference program) that can realize the functions of each embodiment in combination with a program already recorded in the storage medium, or it may not be so.

The storage medium may include one or more suitable combinations of one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (such as, but not limited to, FPGAs, ASICs, etc.), HDDs, hybrid hard drives (referred to as HHDs as appropriate), optical disks, optical disk drives (referred to as ODDs as appropriate), magneto-optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, SSDs, RAM drives, secure digital cards, drives, or any other suitable storage media. The storage medium may be, where appropriate, only volatile storage media, only non-volatile storage media, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile storage media. Note that the storage medium is not limited to these examples and may be any device or medium capable of storing a program. The storage medium may also be expressed as memory, or may be expressed by a name other than memory.

The program according to the present disclosure may be provided to one or both of the server 10 and the terminal 20 via any transmission medium capable of transmitting a program (for example and not limitation, a communication network, broadcast waves, etc.), or may be provided in other forms. One or both of the server 10 and the terminal 20 executes a program downloaded via the Internet, etc., for example and not limitation, to realize the functions of the functional units (for example and not limitation, a control unit, a calculation unit, an image processing unit).

In addition, each embodiment of the present disclosure may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which a program is embodied by electronic transmission. At least a part of the processing in the server 10 may or may not be realized by cloud computing configured by one or more computers. At least a part of the processing in the terminal 20 may or may not be realized by cloud computing configured by one or more computers. At least a part of the processing in the terminal 20 according to the embodiment may be performed by the server 10. In this case, at least a part of the processing of each functional unit (for example, but not limited to, the control unit, the calculation unit, and the image processing unit) of the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 may be executed by the server 10. In addition, all of the processing in the terminal 20 according to the embodiment may be executed by the terminal 20. In addition, at least a part of the processing in the server 10 according to the embodiment may be executed by the terminal 20. In this case, at least a part of the processing of each functional unit (for example, but not limited to, the control unit, the calculation unit, and the image processing unit) of the processing unit 11 of the server 10 may be executed by the terminal 20. In addition, all of the processing in the server 10 according to the embodiment may be executed by the server 10. The determination configuration in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not essential unless explicitly stated, and a specified process may or may not be performed when the determination condition is met, or when the determination condition is not met.

The programs disclosed herein are implemented using, by way of example and not limitation, scripting languages such as ActionScript and JavaScript (registered trademark), object-oriented programming languages such as OBjective-C and Java (registered trademark), and markup languages such as HTML5.

The information processing method according to the embodiment provides a service for transmitting and receiving content between terminals 20 of a group including a plurality of users, by way of example and not limitation. In the following description, the user of terminal 20A is represented as user A, the user of terminal 20B is represented as user B, the user of terminal 20C is represented as user C, and the user of terminal 20D is represented as user D. The number of users included in one group is any number equal to or greater than two. For example, one group may be composed of user A and user B, and the number of users included in this group is two. Another group may be composed of user A, user B, user C, and user D, and the number of users included in this group is four.

In the following description, the service provided by the information processing method according to the embodiment will be referred to as a messaging service as appropriate. The terminal 20 displays an image of a graphical user interface (referred to as a GUI as appropriate) provided by the messaging service, as an example and not a limitation. In the following description, the GUI that allows users in a group to view content transmitted and received between terminals in a group including multiple users will be referred to as a talk room as appropriate. In addition, the talk room corresponding to the first group will be referred to as the first talk room, and the talk room corresponding to the second group will be referred to as the second talk room.

As an example and not a limitation, the display unit 28 has a display area 28A (shown in FIG. 2, etc.) in which a plurality of pixels are arranged, and displays an image of a talk room in the display area 28A. A first image including content transmitted and received between terminals of a first group including a plurality of users corresponds to an image of the first talk room. A second image including content transmitted and received between terminals of a second group including a plurality of users corresponds to an image of the second talk room.

The above content includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of text, images, and audio. The text included in the content includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of national characters represented by character codes, extended characters, machine-dependent characters, numbers, symbols, graphics, and codes. The text included in the content does not have to include at least one of the above characters, extended characters, machine-dependent characters, numbers, symbols, graphics, and codes, and may include other text.

The images included in the content include, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of a captured image captured by a camera, a processed image obtained by performing image processing on a captured image, a computer graphics image (by way of example and not limitation, an icon, an emoticon, an emoticon) generated using a computer, and a text image that visualizes text. The images included in the content may include a composite image obtained by combining two or more of the captured image, processed image, computer graphics image, and text image. The images included in the content may not include at least one of the captured image, processed image, computer graphics image, text image, and composite image, and may include other images. The images included in the content may be still images, videos, or images in other forms. The content including images may be represented by icons such as thumbnails in an image in a talk room, by way of example and not limitation. The terminal 20 may display the images included in the content based on an input to an icon representing an image included in the content, by way of example and not limitation.

The sound included in the content includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of recorded sound recorded by a microphone, processed sound obtained by processing recorded sound, synthetic sound generated by a computer, and read-aloud sound converted from text using a computer's read-aloud function. The sound included in the content may include a combination sound obtained by combining two or more of the above recorded sound, processed sound, synthetic sound, and read-aloud sound. The sound included in the content may not include at least one of the above recorded sound, processed sound, synthetic sound, read-aloud sound, and combined sound, and may include other sounds. The sound included in the content may include at least one of sounds or voices emitted by humans or non-human living things, sounds emitted by objects such as musical instruments or machines, sound effects, environmental sounds, noise sounds, and alarms, or may not include at least one of these sounds or voices, and may include sounds different from these sounds or voices. The content including sound may be represented by an icon or the like in the image of the talk room, by way of example and not limitation. The terminal 20 may play back the sound included in the content based on an input to an icon representing the sound included in the content, by way of example and not limitation.

The content may be, for example and without limitation, a combination of two or more of text, image, and audio. The content may be, for example and without limitation, a content in which video and audio are played in parallel, a content in which images and text are combined and displayed, or a content in which text is displayed in sync with audio playback. The content may also be a content in which audio is played in parallel with the display of text and images. The content may be, for example and without limitation, a content in which at least one of text, image, and audio is combined with content that is different from any of text, image, and audio.

The storage unit 24 of the terminal 20 stores information used in the messaging service, for example and not limitation. The information includes, for example and not limitation, account information D1, talk room information D2, content information D3, and history information D4. The talk room information D2, content information D3, and history information D4 will be described later.

Account information D1 is information about an account used by a user of terminal 20 in a messaging service. Account information D1 is information used to authenticate a user in a messaging service. Account information D1 includes, by way of example and not limitation, a user's identification information and a password. In the following description, the user's identification information will be referred to as a user ID as appropriate. The user ID may be information registered by the user of terminal 20, or may be information assigned in the messaging service.

The memory unit 24 may not store either or both of the user ID and password. For example, when the user is authenticated in the messaging service, the user may operate the input/output unit 23 of the terminal 20 to input the necessary information of the user ID and password. Furthermore, the account information D1 may include information other than the user ID and password. For example, when the user is authenticated by biometric authentication, the account information D1 may include information such as the user's fingerprint, vein pattern, and face photo as information used for biometric authentication.

The memory unit 24 may not store at least a portion of the information used for the messaging service (for example and not limitation, talk room information D2, content information D3, and history information D4). For example, at least a portion of the information used for the messaging service may be stored in a memory unit external to the terminal 20 (for example and not limitation, memory unit 13 of the server 10). The terminal 20 may acquire the information used for the messaging service from a memory unit external to the terminal 20 via the network 30, for example and not limitation.

The storage unit 13 of the server 10 stores information used in the messaging service, for example and not limitation. The information includes, for example and not limitation, user information D6, content information D7, and talk room information D8. The user information D6 includes, for example and not limitation, a user ID and a password associated with each account in the messaging service. In the messaging service, the terminal 20 transmits account information D1. When the server 10 receives the account information D1 transmitted by the terminal 20, the server 10 collates the user ID and password included in the account information D1 with the user information D6 to identify the user associated with the terminal 20. The content information D7 and talk room information D8 will be described later.

The information processing method according to each embodiment will be described below. In the following description, please refer to FIG. 1 and its description as appropriate for each component of the communication system 1.

First Embodiment
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an information processing method according to the first embodiment. First, an outline of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, information about the first content and the second content included in the first talk room are transmitted from the terminal 20 of a user who is included in the first group and is also included in the second group by a communication unit (communication I/F 22 as an example and not a limitation) of the terminal 20. In the diagram in the upper right of FIG. 2, an image T1 of the first talk room includes a content Q1, a content Q2, and a content Q3. As an example and not a limitation, a user selects the first content from the contents (Q1, Q2, Q3) included in the image T1 of the first talk room and inputs the second content by the input unit 23A of the terminal 20. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that the first content is the content Q1 and the second content is the content Q4 (shown in the diagram in the lower right). In the case of FIG. 2, the first content Q1 is a text saying "Shall we hold an event?" and the second content Q4 is a text saying "What time is it?"

The terminal 20 transmits information about the first content and the second content to the second talk room as a destination. By way of example and not limitation, when transmitting the second content associated with the first content, the terminal 20 automatically attaches information about the first content to the second content and transmits it. In the case of FIG. 2, the terminal 20 transmits information about the first content Q1 and the second content Q4. In the case of FIG. 2, the information about the first content Q1 includes at least a portion of the first content Q1.

In the diagram at the bottom right of FIG. 2, image T2 of the second talk room includes content Q5, content Q6, and content Q7. Content Q5 includes, by way of example and not limitation, content Q8 related to the first content Q1 and second content Q4. Content Q8 related to the first content is, by way of example and not limitation, content based on information related to the first content. The content related to the first content may be part or all of the first content, or may be content generated by subjecting the first content to processing such as compression. In the diagram at the bottom right of FIG. 2, content Q8 is the same as first content Q1. By way of example and not limitation, terminal 20 displays an image of the second talk room in display area 28A including content that reproduces at least a part of the first content based on information related to the first content.

As an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 generates an image of the second talk room by arranging the content related to the first content and the second content in a predetermined positional relationship, and displays the generated image of the second talk room in the display area 28A. As an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 displays an image T2 of the second talk room including content Q5, which is a set of content Q8 related to the first content and second content Q4, in the display area 28A. As an example and not a limitation, the content Q5 is a content that quotes the first content Q1. In the following description, the content (content Q5 in FIG. 2) that is a set of content related to the first content (content Q8 in FIG. 2) and second content (content Q4 in FIG. 2) is appropriately referred to as quoted content.

By way of example and not limitation, the user of the terminal 20 transmitting the second content Q4 can communicate information contained in the first talk room (e.g., the first content Q1) to the user of the second talk room. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 can include the second content input by the terminal 20 in an image of the second talk room, while also including information about the first content associated with the second content in the image of the second talk room. In this way, the information processing method according to the embodiment contributes to sharing of information between the users included in the first group and the users included in the second group. By way of example and not limitation, the user of the terminal 20 transmitting the second content Q4 can easily communicate information contained in the first talk room to the user of the second talk room.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to each of the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals as appropriate, and their description will be omitted or simplified. In FIG. 2, the first group is composed of user A and user B, and the second group is composed of user A, user B, user C, and user D.

The symbol TL in the upper left diagram of FIG. 2 is an image showing a list of talk rooms. The terminal 20 displays an image TL of a list of talk rooms associated with the terminal itself or the user of the terminal in the display area 28A, as an example and not a limitation. The talk rooms associated with the terminal itself or the user of the terminal are talk rooms including the user of the terminal, as an example and not a limitation. When a predetermined input is made to the input unit 23A for the image TL of the list of talk rooms, the terminal 20 determines that a talk room has been selected. In the image TL of the list of talk rooms in FIG. 2, [User B], [User C], [User D], [Baseball Club], and [Cat Lover] are icons with the names of talk rooms. When an input is made to the input unit 23A for the icon of [User B], the terminal 20 determines that a talk room named "User B" has been selected, as an example and not a limitation. As a non-limiting example, if the display area 28A is a touch panel display area and the input unit 25 is a touch panel operation unit, when the icon for [User B] displayed in the display area 28A is tapped, the device 20 determines that the talk room named "User B" has been selected, and displays an image of the talk room named "User B" in the display area 28A, as shown in the upper right diagram of FIG. 2.

By way of example and not limitation, each user can create a talk room. When each user creates a talk room, the user selects one or more users, and a talk room including the users selected by the user is created in the messaging service. The process of creating a talk room may be performed by the terminal 20, may be performed by the server 10, or may be performed by the terminal 20 and the server 10. The process of creating a talk room may be performed by a device other than the terminal 20 and the server 10.

In each image of a talk room, the symbol Ta is the name of the talk room. When the number of users included in the group is two, the name of the talk room is set to the user name of the other party, by way of example and not limitation. Here, the users included in the first group are user A and user B, and the user name of the other party's terminal 20B relative to terminal 20A is "user B". Terminal 20A may or may not display the name of this talk room as "user B". When the number of users included in the group is three or more, the name of the talk room is set to the name entered by the user, by way of example and not limitation. The name of the talk room may be, by way of example and not limitation, a name automatically assigned in a messaging service, or may be represented by the identification information of the talk room, etc.

In the image T1 of the first talk room, the content Q1 and the content Q3 are each content input by the own terminal (terminal 20A in this case). By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 displays the content input by the input unit 23A of the own terminal side by side in a first direction with respect to the image of the talk room. By way of example and not limitation, the first direction is the vertical direction with respect to the image of the talk room, and the second direction intersecting with the first direction is the horizontal direction with respect to the image of the talk room. For example, the content Q1 and the content Q3 in the image T1 of the first talk room in FIG. 2 are content input by the own terminal (terminal 20A in this case), and are arranged to one side in the horizontal direction of the image T1 of the talk room, and are arranged side by side in the vertical direction.

In addition, in talk room image T1, content Q2 is content transmitted from a terminal (here, terminal 20B) different from the own terminal (here, terminal 20A). In the following description, a terminal different from the own terminal will be referred to as the other terminal as appropriate. As an example and not a limitation, terminal 20 displays the content transmitted from the other terminal at a different position in the second direction from the content transmitted from the own terminal. As an example and not a limitation, content Q2 in talk room image T1 of FIG. 2 is content transmitted from the other terminal (here, terminal 20B) and is positioned on the opposite side to content Q1 and content Q3 in the horizontal direction of talk room image T1.

By way of example and not limitation, terminal 20 pairs each piece of content transmitted from another terminal with information about the user of terminal 20 that transmitted the content, and places the paired pieces of content in the image of the talk room. By way of example and not limitation, the information about the user includes at least one of the user's icon, the user's name, and the user ID. In the image of the talk room, symbols Ua1, Ub1, Uc1, and Ud1 are the icons of user A, user B, user C, and user D, respectively. Also, in the image of the talk room, symbols Ua2, Ub2, Uc2, and Ud2 are the usernames of user A, user B, user C, and user D, respectively.

In the talk room image T1, the symbol Ub1 is the icon of the user of the other terminal (terminal 20B in this case) that sent the content. Terminal 20 arranges content Q2 and icon Ub1 of the user of terminal 20B that sent content Q2 in the talk room image T1 so that they have a predetermined positional relationship. Note that the information about the user does not need to include at least one of the user's icon, user's name, and user ID, and may include information different from the user's icon, user's name, and user ID. Terminal 20 does not need to include the information about the user in the talk room image.

By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 displays an image of each talk room in the display area 28A, arranging the contents in each talk room in the first direction in the order of the time they were sent. For example, in the image T1 of the first talk room, the content Q2 is content that was sent later than the content Q1, and is positioned below the content Q1 in the vertical direction of the image T1 of the talk room.

The second content is, by way of example and not limitation, content that includes at least one of text, image, and audio input via the input unit 23A of the terminal 20. The input of the second content includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of input of text by operating the input unit 25, input of audio via the microphone 26, input of text by voice recognition of audio input via the microphone 26, input of an image by capturing an image with the camera 27, and input by selecting a file by operating the input unit 25. The file includes, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of audio data, image data, and other data. The file may include a file of data stored in the memory unit 24, or may include a file of data stored in a memory unit different from the memory unit 24 (by way of example and not limitation, a memory unit of a device connected via the network 30).

When the icon of [Baseball Club] in the image TL of the list of talk rooms shown in the lower left diagram of FIG. 2 is tapped, the terminal 20 displays an image T2 of a talk room named "Baseball Club" in the display area 28A as shown in the lower right diagram of FIG. 2. Here, it is assumed that the talk room named "Baseball Club" is the second talk room. The image T2 of the second talk room is a second image including content transmitted and received between the terminals of the second group. The second content Q4 is associated with the first content Q1 and is included in the second image including content transmitted and received between the terminals of the second group. The terminal 20 displays an image T2 of the second talk room including the second content Q4 associated with the first content Q1 in the image T1 of the first talk room in the display area 28A. The content Q5 is, by way of example and not limitation, a quoted content that quotes the first content Q1 in the image T1 of the first talk room, and is included in the image T2 of the second talk room. The content Q5 includes, by way of example and not limitation, the second content Q4 and at least a part of the first content Q1 associated with the second content Q4. Code Q6 is content sent from user C's terminal 20C, and code Q7 is content sent from user D's terminal 20D.

The information about the first content is, by way of example and not limitation, information that a device that holds this information uses to reproduce at least a part of the first content. The device that holds the information about the first content may be, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of the terminal 20 that transmits the information about the first content, the server 10 that receives the information about the first content, and the terminal 20 that receives the information about the first content via the server 10, or may be a device different from these devices.

By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 displays an image of a talk room in the display area 28A based on the talk room information D2 and content information D3 shown in FIG. 1. Here, an example of the talk room information D2 and an example of the content information D3 will be described.

FIG. 3(A) is a diagram showing an example of talk room information. Talk room information D2 includes, by way of example and not limitation, items of talk room ID, name, user ID, and content. The talk room ID is identification information of the talk room. By way of example and not limitation, the talk room ID is assigned by the messaging service when a user creates a talk room. Here, the talk room with [talk room ID] [tr01] is the first talk room (see image T1 of the talk room in FIG. 2), and the talk room with [talk room ID] [tr04] is the second talk room (see image T2 of the second talk room in FIG. 2).

[Name] is the name of the talk room, by way of example and not limitation. [Name] is associated with [Talk Room ID]. For example, the [Name] of a talk room whose [Talk Room ID] is [tr01] is [User B]. Also, the [Name] of a talk room whose [Talk Room ID] is [tr04] is [Baseball Club].

[User ID] is, by way of example and not limitation, identification information of a user included in a group corresponding to each talk room. [User ID] is associated with [Talk Room ID]. For example, the users included in the group corresponding to a talk room whose [Talk Room ID] is [tr01] are user A and user B, and the [User ID] corresponding to [tr01] includes the user ID of user A and the user ID of user B. Furthermore, the users included in the group corresponding to a talk room whose [Talk Room ID] is [tr04] are user A, user B, user C, and user D, and the [User ID] corresponding to [tr04] includes the user ID of user A, user B, user C, and user D.

The [Content List] is information indicating a list of content contained in each talk room, by way of example and not limitation. The [Content List] is associated with the [Talk Room ID]. For example, the content contained in a talk room with a [Talk Room ID] of [tr01] is represented by [List 1], which is part of the content information D3. Also, the content contained in a talk room with a [Talk Room ID] of [tr04] is represented by [List 4], which is part of the content information D3.

Figures 3(B) and 3(C) are diagrams showing examples of content information. Figure 3(B) is a part of content information D3 and corresponds to [List 1] in Figure 3(A). Also, Figure 3(C) is a part of content information D3 and corresponds to [List 4] in Figure 3(A). Content information D3 includes, by way of example and not limitation, the items [Content ID], [Sender User ID], [Content], and [Related Information].

[Content ID] is identification information for each piece of content. The identification information for content is assigned by the messaging service when the terminal 20 sends the content, for example and not limitation. Here, the content with [Content ID] [tr01c01] corresponds to content Q1 in image T1 of the first talk room in FIG. 2. Similarly, the content with [Content ID] [tr01c02] corresponds to content Q2, and the content with [Content ID] [tr01c03] corresponds to content Q3.

The [Sender User ID] is, by way of example and not limitation, the user ID corresponding to the terminal 20 that sent each piece of content. The [Sender User ID] is associated with the [Content ID]. For example, for a piece of content with a [Content ID] of [tr01c01], the user corresponding to the terminal 20 that sent it is user A, and the [Sender User ID] corresponding to [tr01c01] includes the user ID of user A. For a piece of content with a [Content ID] of [tr01c02], the user corresponding to the terminal 20 that sent it is user B, and the [Sender User ID] corresponding to [tr01c02] includes the user ID of user B.

[Content] is data representing each content, for example and not limitation. If the content includes text, [Content] stores the text data of the content. If the content includes an image, [Content] stores image data, a link to the image data, or an address of a storage unit in which the image data is stored. The image data may include, for example and not limitation, still image data or video data. The image data may or may not include data representing stamps, stickers, emojis, and emoticons, for example and not limitation. If the content includes audio, [Content] stores audio data, a link to the audio data, or an address of a storage unit in which the audio data is stored.

[Content] is associated with [Content ID]. For example, content Q1 shown in the diagram at the top right of Fig. 2 is the text "Shall we hold an event?", and the text data representing "Shall we hold an event?" is stored in the [Content] corresponding to [tr01c01]. Furthermore, content Q2 shown in the diagram at the top right of Fig. 2 is the text "Let's recruit for the baseball club," and the text data representing "Let's recruit for the baseball club" is stored in the [Content] corresponding to [tr01c02].

[Related information] is, by way of example and not limitation, information that indicates a relationship with other content. When the content is the second content and is associated with the first content, the [Related information] of the second content includes, by way of example and not limitation, identification information of the first content. The [Related information] is, by way of example and not limitation, at least a portion of information related to the first content. The [Related information] is associated with a [Content ID]. In FIG. 3(B), the content with a [Content ID] of [tr01c01] is not associated with other content, and the [Related information] corresponding to [tr01c01] is [NULL]. [NULL] is information indicating that there is no data.

Figure 3 (C) corresponds to [List 4], which is the content list for [Talk Room ID] [tr04] in Figure 3 (A). The content for [Content ID] [tr04c01] corresponds to content Q4 in image T2 of the second talk room shown in the diagram at the bottom right of Figure 2. Content Q4 is associated with content Q1 in image T1 of the first talk room shown in the diagram at the top right of Figure 2. In this case, in Figure 3 (C), [Related information] for [Content ID] [tr04c01] includes [tr01c01], which is the identification information of content Q1.

When the terminal 20 transmits content from its own terminal, it registers the content to be transmitted in the content information D3 of the talk room including the content. When the terminal 20 receives content from another terminal, it registers the received content in the content information D3 of the talk room including the content. The history information D4 stored in the storage unit 24 shown in FIG. 1 is information on the history of transmitted and received content, for example and not limited thereto. For example, the history information D4 includes information that associates content identification information and transmission time for content transmitted from its own terminal. Also, the history information D4 includes information that associates content identification information and reception time for content received from another terminal. For example and not limited thereto, the history information D4 may include one or both of a time history and a frequency at which each talk room was used. "A talk room was used" means, for example, that at least one of displaying a talk room, transmitting content in a talk room, and receiving content in a talk room was performed on the own terminal.

When the terminal 20 displays the second content in the display area 28A, the terminal 20 identifies the first content by referring to the [related information], for example and not by way of limitation. For example, when the processing unit 21 displays the image T2 of the second talk room including the cited content Q5 shown in the lower right diagram of FIG. 2 in the display area 28A, the processing unit 21 refers to the [related information] of the [content ID] [tr04c01] in FIG. 3 (C). Then, the processing unit 21 acquires [tr01c01], which is the identification information of the first content, as the [related information]. Then, the processing unit 21 acquires the [content] corresponding to the [content ID] [tr01c01] by referring to the content information D3 of the first talk room shown in FIG. 3 (B). The processing unit 21 generates the image T2 of the second talk room including the cited content Q5 by arranging the [content] acquired from the content information D3 of the first talk room shown in FIG. 3 (B) as the first content and the [content] acquired from the content information D3 of the second talk room shown in FIG. 3 (C) as the second content in a predetermined positional relationship. The processing unit 21 controls the display unit 28 to display the image T2 of the second talk room in the display area 28A.

Note that the [related information] is not limited to the forms shown in Figures 3(B) and 3(C). The information related to the first content may include, for example and without limitation, information different from the identification information of the first content. For example, the [related information] of the second content may include the entire first content, or may include information obtained by processing the first content. The information obtained by processing the first content is information generated based on the first content, and may be, for example, information obtained by extracting a part of the first content, or information obtained by compressing the first content.

The memory unit 13 of the server 10 shown in FIG. 1 stores, by way of example and not limitation, content information D7 and talk room information D8. By way of example and not limitation, the talk room information D8 is information that includes talk room information D2 for each of multiple terminals 20. For example, the talk room information D8 includes talk room information D2 associated with terminal 20A or user A of terminal 20A, and talk room information D2 associated with terminal 20B or user B of terminal 20B.

The content information D7 includes, for example and not by way of limitation, information on the content transmitted by each of the multiple terminals 20. For example, the content information D7 is information that includes the content information D3 of each of the multiple terminals 20. When the server 10 receives the content transmitted from the terminal 20, for example and not by way of limitation, the server 10 temporarily stores the received content in the storage unit 13. For example and not by way of limitation, the server 10 checks the destination of the received content against the talk room information D8 to identify a user included in the destination talk room. For example and not by way of limitation, the server 10 sets the terminal 20 of the identified user as the destination and transmits (e.g., distributes) the content. In this way, for example and not by way of limitation, the terminal 20 transmits the content to the terminal 20 associated with the destination talk room via the server 10. When the terminal 20 receives the content transmitted by the server 10, for example and not by way of limitation, the terminal 20 transmits a notification of reception. When the server 10 receives a notification of reception transmitted by the terminal 20, for example and not by way of limitation, the server 10 deletes the content associated with the notification of reception from the content information D7.

The server 10 may store the content received from the terminal 20 for any period of time. The server 10 may delete at least a portion of the content of the talk room in which the user is included from the storage unit 13 in response to an instruction from the user. The server 10 may not delete the content received from the terminal 20 from the storage unit 13.

When transmitting the second content, the terminal 20 generates, as a non-limiting example, quoted content including at least a portion of the first content, identification information of the first content, and the second content. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 generates the quoted content using the processing unit 21, and transmits the quoted content generated by the processing unit 21 via the communication I/F 22.

In the following description, the terminal 20 that transmitted the second content is referred to as the first terminal, and the terminal 20 that displays the image of the second talk room including the second content transmitted by the first terminal is referred to as the second terminal. The second terminal is the same terminal as the first terminal in FIG. 2, but may be a terminal 20 of a user included in the second group and different from the first terminal.

The information on the first content may include, for example and not limitation, information identifying the first content in a messaging service. The information identifying the first content is, for example and not limitation, identification information of the first content. The device holding the first content may reproduce at least a part of the first content based on the identification information of the first content. For example and not limitation, the identification information of the first content Q1 in FIG. 2 is [tr01c01] in the content information D3 shown in FIG. 3(B), and the device holding the first content may obtain "Shall we hold an event?" as the content with [content ID] [tr01c01] and reproduce the first content Q1. For example and not limitation, the device holding the first content may be at least one of the terminal 20 that transmits information on the first content, the server 10 that receives information on the first content, and the terminal 20 that receives information on the first content via the server 10, or may be a device different from these devices.

Note that the terminal 20 does not have to transmit the quoted content. As a non-limiting example, the server 10 may store content information D7 including the first content in the storage unit 13, and the terminal 20 may transmit identification information of the first content as information related to the first content. As a non-limiting example, when the server 10 receives the identification information transmitted by the terminal 20, the server 10 may obtain the first content from the content information D7 stored in the storage unit 13 based on the received identification information.

By way of example and not limitation, the server 10 may transmit at least a portion of the first content, identification information of the first content, and the second content. By way of example and not limitation, when the terminal 20 receives at least a portion of the first content, identification information of the first content, and the second content transmitted from the server 10, the terminal 20 may generate quoted content (e.g., content Q5 in the diagram at the bottom right of FIG. 2) based on this information. The terminal 20 may display an image of a talk room including the generated quoted content in the display area 28A.

Note that, as an example and not a limitation, the server 10 may generate quoted content (e.g., quoted content Q5 in the diagram at the bottom right of FIG. 2) as information including at least a part of the first content, identification information of the first content, and the second content. The server 10 may transmit the generated quoted content to the terminals 20 of the users included in the second group.

In addition, the terminal 20 that has received the second content may display at least a part of the first content and the second content in the display area 28A in a form different from the quoted content (for example, quoted content Q5 in the lower right diagram of FIG. 2). As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 that has received the second content may display at least a part of the first content (for example, content Q8 in the lower right diagram of FIG. 2) and the second content as one content in the display area 28A. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may arrange the first content and the second content separately in the image of the second talk room. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may arrange at least one of the first contents in a first frame and the second content in a second frame different from the first frame so that the first frame and the second frame have a predetermined positional relationship. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may arrange a first frame containing at least a portion of the first content and a second frame containing the second content side by side in a predetermined direction (e.g., vertically) in the image of the talk room.

When the content includes an image, the image may be compressed and included in the image of the talk room, or may be uncompressed and included in the image of the talk room. When the content includes an image, the terminal 20 may, by way of example and not by way of limitation, display an image of the talk room including a thumbnail of a compressed image of the content, and based on an input for the thumbnail, display an image (e.g., the original image) that contains more information than the thumbnail. When the content includes audio, the terminal 20 may, by way of example and not by way of limitation, display an image of the talk room including an icon for playing audio as content.

Next, based on the configuration of the communication system 1, the flow of the information processing method according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 8. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the information processing method according to the first embodiment.

By way of example and not limitation, when a messaging service application is launched, the terminal 20 displays an image TL of a talk room list in the display area 28A, as shown in the upper left diagram of FIG. 2. By way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 reads out talk room information D2 (see FIG. 3(A)) stored in the memory unit 24, and generates an image TL of a talk room list. Then, the processing unit 21 controls the display unit 28 to display the image TL on the display unit 28. Then, when the user selects a talk room via the input unit 23A, the processing unit 21 displays an image of the talk room in the display area 28A. Here, any talk room selected by the user is referred to as the first talk room.

In step S1, the terminal 20 displays an image of the first talk room. As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 generates an image T1 of the first talk room as shown in the upper right diagram of FIG. 2 based on the talk room information D2 and the content information D3 stored in the storage unit 24. For example, the processing unit 21 identifies [List 1] as content information corresponding to the first talk room based on the talk room information D2 shown in FIG. 3(A). Then, the processing unit 21 reads out [List 1] shown in FIG. 3(B) from the content information D3 stored in the storage unit 24. Then, the processing unit 21 arranges each content defined in [List 1] in a predetermined positional relationship to generate an image T1 of the first talk room. Then, the processing unit 21 controls the display unit 28 to display the image T1 of the first talk room in the display area 28A.

In step S2, the terminal 20 determines whether or not there is a request for quotation. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a process for accepting a request for quotation. The terminal 20 accepts a user's input to the image T1 of the first talk room. In the case of FIG. 5, the display area 28A is a part of a touch panel, and the user can input various information to the terminal 20 by operating the input unit 25 (see FIG. 1) superimposed on the display area 28A. As a non-limiting example, when the processing unit 21 detects that the content Q1 displayed in the display area 28A has been pressed and held down as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 5, the processing unit 21 displays a command window Tc in the display area 28A as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 5. In the case of FIG. 5, [Copy], [Delete], [Quote], and [Save] are each a command icon for executing a predetermined process on the selected content (here, the content Q1). As a non-limiting example, when the processing unit 21 detects that the [Quote] icon has been tapped as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 5, the processing unit 21 determines that there is a request for quotation.

Note that the process of accepting a quotation request is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 5. For example, in the lower diagram of FIG. 5, the terminal 20 displays a command window Tc (also referred to as a command list or menu, for example and not for limitation) in which a number of command icons are arranged, but the command icon may be only [Quote]. The terminal 20 may not display the [Quote] icon, and may determine that a quotation request has been made, for example, when it is detected that the content Q1 has been tapped. The input unit 25 may be a device different from the operation unit of a touch panel. For example, when the input unit 25 is a mouse, the user may operate the mouse to place the pointer on the display area 28A on the content Q1, and click the mouse to select the content or display the command. In the upper diagram of FIG. 5, the icon used for inputting a quotation request is displayed by the user operating the input unit 25, but may be displayed in advance in the display area 28A. The terminal 20 may accept a quotation request by a device different from the input unit 25, and may accept a quotation request by voice input using the microphone 26, for example.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 4, when the processing unit 21 determines in step S2 that there is a request for quotation (step S2: Yes), the terminal 20 generates quoted content in step S3, which is a non-limiting example. The terminal 20 then specifies or sets a destination for the quoted content in step S4, and transmits the quoted content in step S5. When the processing unit 21 determines in step S2 that there is no request for quotation (step S2: No), or after the processing of step S5, the terminal 20 ends the series of processes related to the transmission of information related to the first content and the second content. Below, examples of the processes from step S2 onwards will be explained with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 8.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for generating quoted content.
Fig. 7(A) is a diagram showing an example of a process related to the generation of quoted content. Fig. 7(B) is a diagram showing an example of a process related to the transmission of quoted content. Fig. 8(A) is a diagram showing an example of a process related to setting a destination of quoted content. Fig. 8(B) is a diagram showing an example of a process after the transmission of quoted content.

The processing from step S11 to step S14 shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the processing of step S3 shown in FIG. 4. In step S11, the processing unit 21 acquires identification information of the first content. As a non-limiting example, when it is detected that the [Quote] icon has been tapped after the content Q1 is selected as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 5, the processing unit 21 acquires identification information of the content Q1. In step S12, the processing unit 21 displays the first content in the display area 28A based on the identification information of the first content acquired in step S11. As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 acquires [tr01c01] shown in FIG. 3(B) as the identification information of the first content in step S11, and identifies "Let's have an event?", which is the [content] corresponding to [tr01c01], as the first content. Then, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the processing unit 21 displays the software keyboard Td in the display area 28A, and arranges the information window Te in a predetermined positional relationship with the software keyboard Td, and arranges at least a part of the identified first content in the information window Te. The user can input the second content using the software keyboard Td while referring to the first content displayed in the information window Te.

In step S13 of FIG. 6, the terminal 20 acquires the second content input by the user. For example, the input unit 23A detects an input from the user, and the processing unit 21 acquires the information input by the user from the input unit 23A. Then, in step S14, the terminal 20 associates the first content with the second content. For example, the processing unit 21 associates the first content with the second content by registering the identification information of the first content acquired in step S11 in the related information of the second content. For example, in the content information D3 shown in FIG. 3(C), the processing unit 21 registers the [content ID] of the first content, [tr01c01], in the [related information] for the content with [content ID] [tr04c01], which is the second content. By way of example and not of limitation, the processing unit 21 generates quoted content by pairing at least a part of the first content, the identification information of the first content, and the second content.

As shown in FIG. 7(B), after completing input of the second content, the user causes the terminal 20 to transmit the second content. The symbol Tf in FIG. 7(B) is an icon of a command for executing transmission, and the user can transmit the second content using the icon Tf. As a non-limiting example, when the terminal 20 detects that the icon Tf has been pressed and held, the terminal 20 displays a list Tg indicating candidates of the second group, which is the destination, in the display area 28A, as shown in FIG. 8(A). As a non-limiting example, the candidates of the second group are groups associated with the identification information of the terminal itself or the user of the terminal itself. For example, the candidates of the second group are groups including the user of the terminal itself. As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 refers to the talk room information D2, and displays the names of the talk rooms included in the talk room information D2 as a list Tg of candidates of the second group.

The second group of candidates are displayed in the display area 28A in an order based on information about each group of the second group of candidates, for example and not for limitation. For example, the processing unit 21 uses the history information D4 stored in the memory unit 24 as information about each group of the second group of candidates. For example, the processing unit 21 generates the list Tg based on the time when each talk room was used. For example, the processing unit 21 generates the list Tg by arranging the names of the talk rooms included in the talk room information D2 in order of the most recent time when each talk room was used.

The order in which the talk room names are arranged in the list Tg is not limited to the above example. For example, the processing unit 21 may generate the list Tg based on the frequency with which each talk room is used. For example, the processing unit 21 may generate the list Tg by arranging the talk room names included in the talk room information D2 in order of frequency with which each talk room is used. Furthermore, the order in which the talk room names are arranged in the list Tg may be an order preset by the user.

In the example of FIG. 8(A), the user sets the destination from list Tg. As a non-limiting example, the user can set the destination by tapping on the name of the talk room to which the second content is to be sent in list Tg displayed in display area 28A. Terminal 20 designates the talk room set by the user as the destination and sends the quoted content. Here, it is assumed that [Baseball Club] has been set as the destination. Processing unit 21 of terminal 20 controls communication I/F 22 to send the quoted content addressed to [Baseball Club] to server 10 as the destination.

When the terminal 20 transmits information related to the first content Q1, the terminal 20 displays, by way of example and not limitation, a first image including information indicating that information related to the first content Q1 has been transmitted in the display area 28A. In FIG. 8(B), the image T1 of the first talk room corresponds to the first image, and the symbol Th corresponds to the information indicating that information related to the first content Q1 has been transmitted. In the example of FIG. 8(B), the information Th is the text "cited." By way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 generates an image T1 of the first talk room in which the information Th is arranged in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the first content Q1. The processing unit 21 controls the display unit 28 to display the generated image T1 of the first talk room in the display area 28A.

In this embodiment, the program P2 stored in the storage unit 24 of the terminal 20 is an information processing program executed by the terminals of users included in a first group including multiple users and a second group including multiple users, and includes displaying a first image including content transmitted and received between each terminal of the first group in the display area of the terminal, and transmitting information about the first content among the contents included in the first image displayed in the display area and a second content input by the terminal through the communication unit of the terminal, the second content being associated with the first content and included in the second image including content transmitted and received between each terminal of the second group. The program P2 causes the processing unit 21 (CPU, as an example and not limited to) of the terminal 20 to execute the following: displaying a first image including content transmitted and received between each terminal of the first group in the display area of the terminal, and transmitting information about the first content among the contents included in the first image displayed in the display area and the second content input by the terminal through the communication unit of the terminal.

In the present embodiment as described above, the terminal 20 transmits information on the first content among the contents included in the first image displayed in the display area 28A and the second content input by the terminal 20 through the communication unit of the terminal 20. The second content is associated with the first content and is included in the second image including the content transmitted and received between the terminals of the second group. Thus, the user of the terminal of the second group can obtain information on the first content (at least a part of the first content, for example and not by way of limitation) in the second image. In this way, the information processing method according to the present embodiment facilitates the sharing of information between the first group and the second group. As a result, the information processing method according to the present embodiment reduces the effort of the user when collecting information, and contributes to improving the user's convenience. In addition, the information processing method according to the present embodiment contributes to reducing the load on the terminal 20 when the user collects information using the terminal 20.

In this embodiment, the second image includes, by way of example and not limitation, the second content and at least a portion of the first content associated with the second content. In this case, a user viewing the second image can obtain at least a portion of the first content and the second content, making it easier to grasp the association (by way of example and not limitation, the context) between the first content and the second content.

By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 displays candidates for the second group, and transmits the second content to the terminals 20 of multiple users included in the second group selected from the candidates for the second group. In this case, the user can select a destination from the displayed candidates for the second group, improving convenience. Also, in this embodiment, by way of example and not limitation, the candidates for the second group are associated with the identification information of the terminal 20 or the user of the terminal 20, and are displayed in the display area 28A in an order based on information about each group of the candidates for the second group. In this case, the user is more likely to be able to easily specify a destination, improving user convenience.

By way of example and not limitation, when the terminal 20 transmits information related to the first content, the terminal 20 displays in the display area a first image including information indicating that the information related to the first content has been transmitted. In this case, the user of the terminal 20 that transmitted the information related to the first content can confirm that the terminal 20 has operated normally. Furthermore, in the first group, users other than the user of the terminal 20 that transmitted the information related to the first content can know that the information related to the first content has been transmitted.

By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 displays an image of the second talk room in the display area 28A. This information processing method displays an image of the second talk room including the second content in the display area 28A of the terminal 20 that transmitted the information about the first content and the second content, so that the user of the terminal 20 can confirm the transmitted second content by looking at the image of the second talk room, improving user convenience.

The second content is, by way of example and not limitation, at least one of text, image, and audio, input by the input unit 23A of the terminal 20. By way of example and not limitation, text can express information such as comments and schedules with a smaller amount of data than images and audio. Therefore, when the second content includes text, this information processing method can reduce, for example, the amount of communication on the terminal 20. Furthermore, by way of example and not limitation, images and audio have a larger amount of information than text and can express information that is difficult to express in text. Therefore, when the second content includes one or both of images and audio, this information processing method can convey second content with rich expressiveness, contributing to improved convenience for the user.

By way of example and not limitation, when transmission of the second content is permitted, the terminal 20 generates an image of the second talk room based on the first content and the second content input by the input unit 23A of the terminal 20. Since this information processing method generates an image of the second talk room in the terminal 20, by way of example and not limitation, the image of the second talk room can be displayed more quickly in the display area 28A compared to a case in which the image of the second talk room is obtained from outside the terminal 20 via communication or the like. As a result, this information processing method can improve user convenience and reduce the amount of communication on the terminal 20, etc.

Note that although the information processing method according to the embodiment includes the processes of steps S2 to S4 in FIG. 4, it may not include at least a part of the processes of steps S2 to S4. As an example and not a limitation, the destination of the information related to the first content may be set in advance, in which case the terminal 20 may omit the process of step S4. Also, at least a part of the processes of steps S2 to S4 may be executed by a device external to the terminal 20 (as an example and not a limitation, a cloud computer).

Note that at least a part of the processes from step S2 to step S4 may be part of a series of processes for transmitting information related to the first content and the second content. Furthermore, the order of the processes from step S2 to step S4 may be changed as desired. For example, the quoted content may be generated after the destination is specified in step S4. Furthermore, if a talk room different from the first talk room is specified as the destination in step S4, the terminal 20 may request to quote the content to the other talk room.

Note that the quoted content displayed in display area 28A is a combination of at least a portion of the first content and the second content, in the case of content Q5 in the lower right diagram of FIG. 2, but is not limited to this form. For example, the quoted content may be a form in which content including at least a portion of the first content and the second content are arranged separately and displayed. For example, terminal 20 may display an image of a talk room in which at least a portion of the first content and the second content are arranged as a single piece of content. In this case, at least a portion of the first content may or may not be arranged vertically in the second talk room image T2 relative to the second content.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the second embodiment. First, an overview of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment is an embodiment in which, by way of example and not of limitation, citation is permitted for content that meets a predetermined condition. By way of example and not of limitation, the terminal 20 transmits the quoted content when citation is permitted, and does not transmit the quoted content when citation is not permitted. The above-mentioned predetermined condition is, by way of example and not of limitation, a condition in which the user who transmitted the content to be quoted is the same as the user of the terminal 20. By way of example and not of limitation, the user can transmit content that cites the content inputted by the user's own terminal 20 among the contents included in the first talk room, to the second talk room as a destination, by the terminal 20. For example, when the user who transmitted the first content is the same as the user of the terminal, the processing unit 21 controls the communication I/F 22 to transmit information including information related to the first content (by way of example and not of limitation, the quoted content).

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals will be used for configurations similar to those in the above-mentioned embodiments as appropriate, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

In FIG. 9, the processing of steps S1 and S2 is the same as in FIG. 4, so the description thereof will be omitted or simplified. When the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 determines in step S2 that there is a request for quotation (step S2: Yes), in step S21, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 determines whether or not to permit the transmission of information related to the first content. As an example and not a limitation, when the user who transmitted the first content is the same as the user of the terminal 20, the processing unit 21 determines that the transmission of information related to the first content is permitted (step S21: Yes).

The processing unit 21 executes the process of step S21 by referring to the content information D3 illustrated in FIG. 3B as an example, but not limited to, for example. For example, when the [content ID] of the first content selected by the user is [tr01c01], the processing unit 21 acquires the user ID of the user who transmitted the first content by referring to the [transmitting user ID] corresponding to [tr01c01]. Then, the processing unit 21 compares the user ID of the user who transmitted the first content with the user ID of the user of the terminal 20, and determines that the transmission of information related to the first content is permitted if both match. For example, when a content with [content ID] [tr01c01] is selected as the first content in the terminal 20A of the user A, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20A determines that the transmission of information related to the first content is permitted because the [transmitting user ID] corresponding to [tr01c01] matches the user ID of the user A of the terminal 20. Furthermore, when content with a [content ID] of [tr01c02] is selected as the first content on user A's terminal 20A, the processing unit 21 of terminal 20A determines that the [sending user ID] corresponding to [tr01c02] does not match the user ID of user A of terminal 20, and therefore does not permit the transmission of information related to the first content.

When the processing unit 21 determines that the transmission of information related to the first content is permitted (step S21: Yes), by way of example and not limitation, it executes the processes of steps S3 to S5 and transmits information related to the first content and the second content. The processes of steps S3 to S5 are similar to those in FIG. 4, and therefore description thereof is omitted. When the processing unit 21 determines that the transmission of information related to the first content is not permitted (step S21: No), by way of example and not limitation, it notifies the user that quotation is not permitted in step S22. For example, the processing unit 21 controls the display unit 28 to display an image including a message such as "Quotation not permitted" in the display area 28A, and notifies the user that quotation is not permitted.

The processing unit 21 may notify the non-permission of the quotation by outputting a sound indicating that the quotation is not permitted from the speaker 29. The processing unit 21 may also notify the non-permission of the quotation in a form other than sound or image (for example, vibration of the terminal 20, lighting or blinking of a lamp). The processing unit 21 may not execute the process of step S22.

After executing the process of step S5 or after executing the process of step S22, the terminal 20 ends the series of processes for transmitting information about the first content.

By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 transmits information related to the first content via the communication unit when the user who transmitted the first content is the same as the user of the terminal 20. Therefore, this information processing method can reduce unintentional transmission of information related to the first content when the terminal 20 belongs to a user other than the user who transmitted the first content.

By way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 determines whether or not to permit transmission of information related to the first content. This information processing method determines whether or not to permit transmission of information related to the first content in the terminal 20 transmitting the second content, and therefore the determination result is obtained quickly. Therefore, by way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 can transmit information related to the first content and the second content quickly compared to a case in which the above determination is made outside the terminal 20, improving user convenience.

Furthermore, by way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 determines whether or not to permit quoting in step S21 before executing the processes of steps S3 and S4. Therefore, when the processing unit 21 determines that quoting is not permitted (step S21: No), the terminal 20 can omit the processes of steps S3 and S4, thereby reducing the load required for these processes. Note that the process of step S21 only needs to be executed before the process of step S5, and may be executed after step S3 or after the process of step S4.

The terminal 20 may transmit information about the first content based on a condition other than the condition that the user who transmitted the first content is the same as the user of the terminal 20. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may determine whether or not to permit transmission of information about the first content based on one or both of the type and data amount of the first content. For example, the terminal 20 may transmit information about the first content if the first content is text, and may not transmit information about the first content if the first content is different from text. The conditions under which the terminal 20 transmits information about the first content are not limited to the above example, and will be described in later embodiments.

When the terminal 20 is not permitted to transmit information about the first content to the second talk room, the terminal 20 may transmit the second content without transmitting information about the first content. Furthermore, the terminal 20 may not determine whether or not to permit the transmission of information about the first content to the second talk room. As a non-limiting example, when the server 10 receives information about the first content and the second content transmitted by the terminal 20, the server 10 may determine whether or not to transmit at least a portion of the received information from the server 10 to the terminal 20 of the user included in the second group. When the server 10 determines not to transmit information about the first content transmitted by the terminal 20 to the terminal 20 of the user included in the second group, the server 10 may transmit the second content without transmitting information about the first content, or may not transmit the second content.

Note that, as a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may display an image of a chat room that distinguishes between content for which quoting is permitted and content for which quoting is not permitted. In the following description, the content for which quoting is permitted will be referred to as a candidate for the first content, as appropriate.

10(A) and 10(B) are diagrams showing a process for displaying candidates for the first content. In the image T1 of the first talk room in FIG. 10(A), the content Q1 and the content Q2 are contents sent by the user of the terminal 20. The sending user of the content Q1 and the content Q2 is the same as the user of the terminal 20, and citation is permitted, so the content Q1 and the content Q2 are candidates for the first content. The content Q2 is a content sent from another terminal, and the sending user is different from the user of the terminal 20, so citation is not permitted. The content Q1 and the content Q2, which are candidates for the first content, are each arranged in a first positional relationship with respect to the image T1 of the first talk room. The symbol CL is the center line of the image T1 of the first talk room, and the first positional relationship is a positional relationship shifted to one side with respect to the center line CL. For example, the content Q1 and the content Q2 are arranged in a position shifted to the right side with respect to the center line CL of the image T1 of the first talk room. Furthermore, content Q3, which is a content different from the content that is a candidate for the first content, is positioned on the opposite side of the content that is a candidate for the first content with respect to the center line CL. Note that the positional relationship between the content that is a candidate for the first content and the content that is different from the content that is a candidate for the first content is not limited to the above example, and is set arbitrarily so that a human can distinguish between them visually.

In the image T1 of the first talk room in FIG. 10(B), the content that is a candidate for the first content of the first image is displayed in the display area 28A in a different manner from the content that is not a candidate for the first content. In FIG. 10(B), the content that is a candidate for the first content of the first image is content Q1 and content Q2. The content that is not a candidate for the first content is content Q3. As a non-limiting example, each content is displayed as an item in which the main body of the content is contained in a frame (e.g., a frame in the shape of a speech bubble). The content that is a candidate for the first content and the content that is not a candidate for the first content are displayed in a form in which one or both of the color and brightness of the frame are different. As a non-limiting example, the inside of the frame of content Q1 and content Q2 is a first color (e.g., green), and the inside of the frame of content Q3 is a second color (e.g., white) that is different from the first color.

The content that is a candidate for the first content and the content that is different from the candidate for the first content may differ in the brightness inside the frame, the color of the frame line, the thickness of the frame line, and the type of the frame line (e.g., solid line, dotted line). Furthermore, the difference in the display form between the content that is a candidate for the first content and the content that is different from the candidate for the first content is not limited to the above example, and may be set arbitrarily so that humans can distinguish between them visually.

10(A) and 10(B), the terminal 20 displays content that is a candidate for the first content and content that is not a candidate for the first content in a distinguished manner. In this case, the user can easily distinguish between content for which transmission of information related to the first content is permitted and content for which transmission of information related to the first content is not permitted, improving user convenience.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the third embodiment. First, an outline of this embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is, by way of example and not limitation, a form in which it is determined whether or not quoting is permitted before the second content is input. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 generates quoted content when quoting is permitted, and does not generate quoted content when quoting is not permitted. FIG. 12(A) is a diagram showing a process related to display when quoting is permitted. FIG. 12(B) is a diagram showing a process related to display when quoting is not permitted. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 displays a [Quote] icon as shown in FIG. 12(A) when quoting is not permitted, and does not display a [Quote] icon as shown in FIG. 12(B) when quoting is not permitted.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals as appropriate, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

After displaying the image of the first talk room in step S1, the terminal 20 determines whether or not content has been selected in step S24. As a non-limiting example, when the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 detects that content Q1 has been pressed and held in the image T1 of the first talk room displayed in the display area 28A as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 5, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not content Q1 has been selected. When the processing unit 21 determines that content has been selected (step S24: Yes), it determines whether or not quoting is permitted in step S25. When the processing unit 21 determines that quoting is permitted for the content determined to have been selected in step S24 (step S25: Yes), it displays a command window including a quote in step S26. When the processing unit 21 determines that quoting is not permitted for the content determined to have been selected in step S24 (step S25: No), it displays a command window not including a quote in step S27.

When quoting is permitted, the processing unit 21 generates an image T1a of the first talk room including a command window Tc1 including a command for executing a process related to quoting (e.g., [Quote] in the figure) as shown in FIG. 12(A). The processing unit 21 controls the display unit 28 to display the image T1a of the first talk room in the display area 28A. In the case of FIG. 12(A), [Copy], [Delete], [Quote], and [Save] are each command icons for executing a predetermined process with respect to the selected content (content Q1 in this case). The user can tap any of the icons [Copy], [Delete], [Quote], and [Save] to cause the terminal 20 to execute the process assigned to the icon.

When quotation is not permitted, the processing unit 21 generates an image T1b of the first talk room including a command window Tc2 that does not include a command for executing a process related to quotation, as shown in FIG. 12(B). In FIG. 12(B), the [Quote] icon is disabled. When the [Quote] icon is tapped, the terminal 20 does not accept the input of the [Quote] command, for example and not by way of limitation. [Quote] does not function as an icon for inputting a command, but is displayed with a lower contrast than other commands such as [Copy], to visually indicate that the command cannot be executed. The terminal 20 does not need to display [Quote]. Note that for [Copy], [Delete], and [Save], which are enabled icons, the user can tap the icon to cause the terminal 20 to execute the process assigned to the icon. Note that,

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 11, after displaying the command window Tc1 including the quote in step S26, the terminal 20 determines in step S28 whether or not there is a request for a quote. By way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 determines that there is a request for a quote when it detects that the [Quote] icon shown in FIG. 12(A) has been tapped. When the processing unit 21 determines that there is a request for a quote (step S28: Yes), the terminal 20 executes the processing of steps S3 to S5 to transmit information related to the first content and the second content. The processing of steps S3 to S5 is the same as that of FIG. 4, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

When the processing unit 21 detects that a part other than the [Quote] icon shown in FIG. 12(A) has been tapped, the processing unit 21 determines that there is no request for quotation (step S28: No). The part other than the [Quote] icon may be, for example and not limited to, an icon other than the [Quote] icon, or may be a part outside the command window Tc1 in the display area 28A. When the processing unit 21 determines that there is no request for quotation (step S28: No), or after the processing of step S27, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not a command has been selected. When the processing unit 21 detects that an icon representing a valid command has been tapped in the command window Tc1 shown in FIG. 12(A) or the command window Tc2 shown in FIG. 12(B), the processing unit 21 determines that there is a command selection (step S29: Yes). When the processing unit 21 determines that there is a command selection (step S29: Yes), the terminal 20 executes the selected command in step S30. If the processing unit 21 determines in step S24 that no content has been selected (step S24: No), or after the processing of step S5, if the processing unit 21 determines in step S29 that no command has been selected (step S29: No), or after the processing of step S30, the terminal 20 ends the series of processes for transmitting information about the first content and the second content.

As a non-limiting example, when the terminal 20 described above is not permitted to transmit information related to content transmitted between terminals in the first group as content transmitted between terminals in the second group different from the first group, the terminal 20 does not accept input of a command to execute at least a part of the process of transmitting information related to the content. In this case, as a non-limiting example, the user is not inconvenienced by finding out that transmission of information related to the first content is not permitted after inputting the second content, improving user convenience. Furthermore, the terminal 20 can omit processing such as accepting input of the second content for information related to content that is not permitted to be transmitted, thereby reducing the processing load.

Fourth Embodiment
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the fourth embodiment. First, an overview of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the conditions for allowing quotation are different from those of the above-mentioned embodiment. The terminal 20 determines whether or not to allow quotation based on the users included in the second group, as an example and not a limitation. After the destination of the second content is specified, the terminal 20 determines whether or not to allow quotation based on the destination of the second content. As an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 allows quotation when a user who is overlapped between the user included in the first group and the user included in the second group exists other than the user of the terminal itself. Information related to the first content is transmitted by the communication unit, as an example and not a limitation, when one or more users, excluding the user of the terminal 20, among the multiple users included in the second group are included in the first group.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be given the same reference numerals as appropriate, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

The processing of steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 13 is similar to that of FIG. 4, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified. When the processing unit 21 determines in step S2 that there is a request for quotation (step S2: Yes), the terminal 20 designates a destination to which information related to the first content and the second content are to be transmitted in step S31. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 displays a list of names of talk rooms that are candidate destinations in the display area 28A, and designates a talk room selected by the user from the list as the destination.

In step S32, the terminal 20 determines whether or not to permit quoting. As an example and not a limitation, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 executes the process of step S32 based on the destination specified in step S31. For example, the processing unit 21 refers to the talk room information D2 shown in FIG. 3 (A) and acquires the user ID of the user included in the group corresponding to the talk room of the destination specified in step S31. Then, the processing unit 21 compares the user ID of the user included in the first group corresponding to the first talk room with the user ID of the user included in the group corresponding to the destination talk room. As a result, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not one or more users, excluding the user of the own terminal, among the multiple users included in the second group are included in the first group. When the processing unit 21 determines that N1 or more users, excluding the user of the own terminal, among the multiple users included in the second group are included in the first group, it determines that the transmission of information related to the first content is permitted (step S32: Yes). The above N1 is an integer of 1 or more, and is a value that is set in advance as an example and not a limitation. When the processing unit 21 determines that the transmission of information related to the first content is permitted (step S32: Yes), the terminal 20 executes the processes of steps S3 and S5 to transmit information related to the first content and the second content. The processes of steps S3 and S5 are the same as those in FIG. 4, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

When the processing unit 21 determines that the transmission of information related to the first content is not permitted (step S32: No), the terminal 20 notifies the non-permission of the quotation in step S33. The processing in step S33 is similar to the processing in step S22 in FIG. 9, and the description thereof is omitted. After the processing in step S33, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not to change the destination in step S34. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 displays a dialog box such as "Do you want to change the destination?" in the display area 28A and accepts the user's input. When the processing unit 21 detects a user's input to change the destination, it determines that the destination is to be changed (step S34: Yes). When the processing unit 21 determines that the destination is to be changed (step S34: Yes), the terminal 20 returns to the processing in step S31 and repeats the subsequent processing. When the processing unit 21 determines that the destination is not to be changed (step S34: No), the terminal 20 ends the series of processing for transmitting information related to the first content and the second content.

As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 as described above transmits information about the first content when one or more users, excluding the user of the terminal 20, among the multiple users included in the second group are included in the first group. In other words, the terminal 20 transmits information about the first content when there is a user other than the user of the terminal who overlaps between the first and second groups. Thus, as a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 can transmit information about the first content to the terminals 20 of the second group that have a relationship with the first group, and can share information while suppressing, for example, unintended spread of information.

Furthermore, as a non-limiting example, terminal 20 determines whether or not to permit transmission of information related to the first content in step S32 before executing the process of accepting input of the second content in step S3. In this case, the user is prevented from experiencing inconveniences such as finding out that quoting is not permitted after inputting the second content, improving user convenience. Furthermore, when transmission of information related to the first content is not permitted, terminal 20 can omit the process of accepting input of the second content, reducing the processing load.

Fifth Embodiment
14 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the fifth embodiment. First, an overview of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment differs from the above-described embodiments in the timing at which it is determined whether or not quoting is permitted. By way of example and not of limitation, the terminal 20 determines whether or not quoting is permitted after generating quoted content.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals as appropriate, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

The processing of steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 14 is similar to that of FIG. 4, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted or simplified. When the processing unit 21 determines in step S2 that there is a request for quotation (step S2: Yes), the terminal 20 generates quoted content in step S41. Then, the terminal 20 sets the destination of the quoted content in step S42. The processing of steps S41 and S42 is similar to the processing of steps S3 and S4 in FIG. 4, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. After the processing of step S42, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not to permit quotation. The processing of step S43 is similar to the processing of step S32 in FIG. 13, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

When the processing unit 21 determines that quoting is permitted (step S43: Yes), the terminal 20 transmits information about the first content and the second content in step S5. When the processing unit 21 determines that quoting is not permitted (step S43: No), the terminal 20 notifies the terminal 20 that quoting is not permitted in step S44, and determines whether to change the destination in step S45. The processing in steps S44 and S45 is similar to the processing in steps S33 and S34 in FIG. 13, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

If the processing unit 21 determines that the destination is not to be changed (step S46: No), the terminal 20 determines whether or not to store the quoted content in step S46. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 displays a dialog box such as [Store?] in the display area 28A and accepts the user's input. If the processing unit 21 detects that the user has input to store the quoted content, it determines that the quoted content is to be stored (step S46: Yes). If the processing unit 21 determines that the quoted content is to be stored (step S46: Yes), the terminal 20 stores at least a part of the quoted content generated in step S41 in the storage unit in step S47. As a non-limiting example, the storage unit is the storage unit 24 of the terminal 20, but may be a storage unit different from the storage unit 24 or may be a storage unit external to the terminal 20. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may display the stored quote message in the display area 28A based on a user's request. If the processing unit 21 determines that the quoted content is not to be stored (step S46: No), or after the processing of step S47, the terminal 20 ends the series of processes.

As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 as described above determines whether or not to permit quoting after generating quoted content, and determines whether or not to change the destination if quoting is not permitted. In this case, the user may be permitted to quote by changing the destination, which reduces the inconvenience of wasting the effort required to input the second content, improving user convenience. In addition, the terminal 20 can reduce the inconvenience of not sending information related to the first content due to, for example, an incorrect input of the destination, and is more robust.

In addition, as a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 determines whether or not to permit quoting after generating quoted content, and determines whether or not to store the quoted content if quoting is not permitted. In this case, the user may, for example, view or reuse the stored quoted content, improving user convenience.

The terminal 20 may not execute the process of step S45. The terminal 20 may not execute the process of step S46, and if the processing unit 21 determines that quoting is not permitted (step S43: No), the terminal 20 may automatically store the quote message or may not store the quote message.

Sixth Embodiment
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the sixth embodiment. First, an outline of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment is, by way of example and not of limitation, a form in which whether or not to permit quotation is determined based on a plurality of conditions. By way of example and not of limitation, when the content to be quoted is specified, the terminal 20 determines whether or not to permit quotation based on the user who transmitted the specified content. Also, by way of example and not of limitation, when the destination is specified, the terminal 20 determines whether or not to permit quotation based on the specified destination. Then, by way of example and not of limitation, when the terminal 20 determines that the quotation is permitted, the terminal 20 transmits the quoted content. Also, by way of example and not of limitation, when the terminal 20 determines that the quotation is not permitted, the terminal 20 transmits a request for quotation permission, and transmits the quoted content based on a response to the request for quotation permission.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be given the same reference numerals as appropriate, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

The processing of steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 15 is the same as that in FIG. 4, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified. When the processing unit 21 determines that there is a request for quotation (step S2: Yes), in step S51, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not to permit quotation. The processing unit 21 performs the same processing as step S21 in FIG. 9, and when the user of the terminal that transmitted the first content is the same as the user of the processing unit 21's own terminal, the processing unit 21 determines that quotation is permitted (step S51: Yes). When the processing unit 21 determines that quotation is permitted, in step S52, it sets a flag indicating that quotation is permitted. By way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 generates a flag indicating that quotation is permitted.

When the processing unit 21 determines that quoting is not permitted (step S51: No) or after the processing of step S52, the terminal 20 specifies a destination in step S4. After the processing of step S4, the terminal 20 determines whether or not quoting is permitted in step S53. The processing of step S53 is, by way of example and not limitation, similar to the processing of step S32 in FIG. 13, and the processing unit 21 determines that quoting is permitted when one or more users, excluding the user of the terminal, among the multiple users included in the second group corresponding to the destination talk room are included in the first group. When the processing unit 21 determines that quoting is permitted (step S53: Yes), in step S54, it sets a flag indicating that quoting is permitted.

When the processing unit 21 determines that quoting is not permitted (step S53: No) or after the processing of step S54, the processing unit 21 generates quoted content in step S3. After the processing of step S3, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not the quoting permission flag is present in step S55. When the quoting permission flag is set in one or both of the processing of steps S52 and S54, the processing unit 21 determines that the quoting permission flag is present (step S55: Yes). When the processing unit 21 determines that the quoting permission flag is not present (step S55: No), the processing unit 21 determines whether or not to send a request for quoting permission in step S56. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 displays a dialog box such as [Send a request for quoting permission?] in the display area 28A and accepts user input. When the processing unit 21 detects a user input to send a request for quoting permission, it determines that the request for quoting permission is to be sent (step S56: Yes).

When the processing unit 21 determines that the terminal 20 should send a request for permission to quote (step S56: Yes), the terminal 20 sends the request for permission to quote in step S57. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 sends information indicating a request for permission to quote to the terminal 20 of the user who is permitted to send information related to the first content. As a non-limiting example, the user who is permitted to send information related to the first content is the user who sent the first content.

The destination of the request for permission to quote is not limited to the above example. For example, the terminal 20 may be the terminal 20 of one or more users included in the first group, or may be the terminal of a preset user (a preset user, an administrator, among the users included in each group, as an example and not as a limitation). The terminal 20 that receives the request for permission to quote displays a dialog box such as [Do you allow quotation?] in the display area 28A and accepts user input. When the processing unit 21 detects a user input to transmit a request for permission to quote, it transmits permission to quote. When the server 10 receives a request for permission to quote transmitted by the terminal 20, as an example and not as a limitation, it may determine whether or not to permit quotation and transmit permission to quote based on the result of the determination.

In step S58, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not permission for quoting has been received. By way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not information indicating permission for quoting has been received in response to the request for permission for quoting sent in step S57. If the processing unit 21 determines in step S55 that the quotation permission flag is present (step S55: Yes), or if the processing unit 21 determines in step S58 that permission for quoting has been received (step S58: Yes), the terminal 20 transmits information relating to the first content and the second content in step S5.

In addition, if the processing unit 21 determines in step S2 that there is no request for quotation (step S2: No), if the processing unit 21 determines in step S56 that a request for quotation permission is not to be sent (step S56: No), or if the processing unit 21 determines in step S58 that quotation permission has not been received (step S58: No), the terminal 20 ends the series of processes.

When the terminal 20 sets a destination in step S4 and does not transmit information related to the first content, the terminal 20 may determine whether to change the destination in the same manner as in the processing of step S45 in FIG. 14. When the user inputs the second content in step S3 and does not transmit information related to the first content, the terminal 20 may determine whether to store one or both of the information related to the first content and the second content in the same manner as in the processing of step S46 in FIG. 14, or may store the information related to the first content and the second content without determining whether to store the information, or may not store the information without determining whether to store the information.

As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 as described above transmits information related to the first content and the second content based on multiple conditions. As a non-limiting example, this information processing method allows detailed setting of conditions for permission to transmit information related to the first content, and therefore allows multiple users to share information while preventing unintended information leakage. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 permits quoting when the user of the terminal 20 that transmitted the first content is the same as the user of the terminal itself, and permits quoting when a user included in the second group that is different from the user of the terminal itself is included in the first group. In this case, users included in both the first group and the second group can transmit quoted content by the terminal 20, improving user convenience.

Furthermore, as a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 transmits information about the first content and the second content based on the response to the request for permission to quote. As a non-limiting example, this type of information processing method does not require the terminal 20 to determine whether or not to permit quoting, and can reduce the processing load on the terminal 20. As a non-limiting example, this type of information processing method can transmit information about the first content and the second content based on the response to the request for permission to quote in a state in which the terminal 20 lacks information necessary to determine whether or not to permit quoting, and can share information between the first group and the second group.

Furthermore, by way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 transmits information about the first content and the second content based on a plurality of conditions, the plurality of conditions including a condition that permission for quoting has been received. By way of example and not limitation, such an information processing method can prevent information about the first content from being illegally transmitted from the terminal 20 when whether or not to permit quoting is determined outside the terminal 20. As a result, the information processing method can prevent unintended information leakage while allowing a plurality of users to share information.

The number of conditions under which the terminal 20 transmits the information about the first content and the second content may be one or more. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 transmits the information about the first content and the second content under one condition, and this condition may be that permission to quote has been received. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 transmits the information about the first content and the second content based on multiple conditions, and the multiple conditions may not include the condition that permission to quote has been received. The multiple conditions may or may not include at least one of the conditions described in each of the above embodiments. The multiple conditions may include a condition different from the conditions described in each of the above embodiments.

Seventh Embodiment
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an information processing method according to the seventh embodiment. First, an overview of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, as an example and not a limitation, when quoted content is transmitted, information about the talk room is displayed in the display area 28A. As an example and not a limitation, when quoted content is transmitted, the terminal 20 displays an image of the second talk room including advertisements and the like related to the first talk room. As an example and not a limitation, when quoted content is transmitted, the terminal 20 displays an image of the first talk room including advertisements and the like related to the second talk room.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals as appropriate, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

The symbol TL in the upper left diagram of FIG. 16 is an image of a list of talk rooms. In this image TL, [Music] and [Rock] are the names of the talk rooms. The [Music] talk room and the [Rock] talk room are talk rooms with a theme set, by way of example and not by way of limitation. For example, a talk room with the name [Music] has a music theme, and is a talk room where information related to music in general can be posted and viewed. A talk room with the name [Rock] has a rock theme, and is a talk room where information related to rock in general can be posted and viewed. The theme of each talk room is arbitrary, and may be food, fashion, travel, movies, work, romance, etc. A user can set an arbitrary theme and create a talk room, by way of example and not by way of limitation.

In this embodiment, the talk rooms provided by the messaging service include public talk rooms and private talk rooms. Public talk rooms are talk rooms that any user using the messaging service can join, by way of example and not limitation. The messaging service provides a list of public talk rooms to a user, and the user can register himself/herself in a group corresponding to a talk room selected from the list. By way of example and not limitation, the messaging service provides a system for a user to search public talk rooms, and the user can find talk rooms on topics of interest by keyword search or the like.

Also, by way of example and not limitation, when creating a chat room, a user may set the type of the chat room to public, thereby creating a public chat room. A public chat room may be created by, by way of example and not limitation, a messaging service provider or a contractor. For example, an event organizer may commission a messaging service provider to create a chat room, and the messaging service provider may create a public chat room themed around the event.

By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 can display (by way of example and not limitation, the user of the terminal 20 can view) an image of the talk room by registering the user of the terminal 20 as a user of a group corresponding to a published talk room. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 can send (by way of example and not limitation, the user of the terminal 20 can post) content addressed to the talk room by registering the user of the terminal 20 as a user of a group corresponding to a published talk room.

In addition, as a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may be able to display an image of a talk room without the user of the terminal 20 being registered as a user of a group corresponding to the talk room. For example, a user may be able to view a talk room without registering with a group corresponding to the talk room, or may be required to register with a group to post to the talk room. After viewing the talk room, the user may decide whether or not to register himself/herself with a group. Furthermore, when the terminal 20 displays an image of a published talk room, the user of the terminal 20 may be registered with the group corresponding to the talk room.

In addition, as a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may be able to transmit content addressed to a talk room without the user of the terminal 20 being registered as a user of the group corresponding to the published talk room. For example, when content addressed to a published talk room is transmitted from the terminal 20, the user of the terminal 20 may be registered in the group corresponding to the talk room.

The private talk room is, by way of example and not limitation, a talk room in which access to display images of the talk room and to send content addressed to the talk room by the terminals 20 of users not included in the group corresponding to the talk room is restricted. Users included in the group corresponding to the private talk room can add other users to the group. In the image TL of the talk room list shown in the upper left of FIG. 16, [User B] is the name of the talk room, and the type of the talk room named [User B] is private.

As an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 displays an image TL of a list of talk rooms associated with the terminal itself or the user of the terminal itself in the display area 28A. As an example and not a limitation, when [Music] is tapped on the image TL as shown in the upper left diagram of FIG. 2, the terminal 20 displays an image T6 of a talk room whose name Ta is [Music] in the display area 28A as shown in the upper right diagram. Here, it is assumed that the group corresponding to the [Music] talk room is the first group, and the image T6 of the talk room is the first image. Also, it is assumed that the group corresponding to the [Rock] talk room is the second group, and the image T7 of the [Rock] talk room shown in the lower left diagram is the second image.

The terminal 20 transmits information about the first content included in the first image displayed in the display area 28A and the second content input by the terminal 20 through the communication unit of the terminal 20 (as an example and not a limitation, the communication I/F 22). In the image T6 of the talk room in the upper right figure, the symbols Q11 to Q13 are contents transmitted and received between the terminals in the first group. Here, the content Q11 is assumed to be the first content. As an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 transmits information about the first content Q11 and the second content based on the user's input for the first content Q11 displayed in the display area 28A.

In the talk room image T7 shown in the lower left diagram, the symbols Q14 and Q15 are contents transmitted and received between the terminals of the second group. The symbol Q16 is quoted content that quotes the first content Q11, and the content Q14 is the second content input by the user A via the terminal 20. By way of example and not of limitation, when the terminal 20 transmits information about the first content Q11 and the second content Q14, it displays a first image including information about the second group between which the second content Q14 is transmitted and received.

As shown in the lower right diagram, after transmitting information about the first content Q11, the terminal 20 displays an image T6 of the talk room corresponding to the first group in the display area 28A. In the image T6 of the talk room, the symbol Q18 is content including information about the second group. Here, the talk room corresponding to the second group is a talk room named [Rock]. By way of example and not limitation, the content Q18 includes information about the talk room [Rock] that is in line with the theme of the talk room [Rock]. By way of example and not limitation, the content Q18 is content generated and transmitted by the server 10. By way of example and not limitation, when the server 10 receives information about the first content Q11 and the second content Q14 transmitted by the terminal 20, the server 10 transmits information about the first content Q11 and the second content Q14 to the terminal 20 of the user included in the second group, and then transmits information about the second group to the terminal 20 of the user included in the first group. The processing unit 21 of the server 10 generates content including information about the second group based on the talk room information D8 stored in the memory unit 13, for example and not for limitation.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing talk room information. Talk room information D8 includes, by way of example and not limitation, the items [Type] and [Topic]. [Type] is information indicating whether a talk room is public or private. [Type] is associated with [Talk Room ID] by way of example and not limitation. For example, a talk room with [Talk Room ID] of [tr01] is a talk room with [Name] of [User B] shown in FIG. 2 and the like, and has [Type] of [Private]. A talk room with [Talk Room ID] of [tr11] is a talk room with [Music] (see the diagram in the upper right of FIG. 16) and has a type of [Public]. A talk room with [Talk Room ID] of [tr12] is a talk room with [Rock] (see the diagram in the lower left of FIG. 16) and has a type of [Public].

[Theme] is, by way of example and not limitation, information about a talk room. [Theme] is associated with [Talk Room ID], by way of example and not limitation. For example, a talk room with [Talk Room ID] of [tr11] has a [Theme] of [Music]. Also, a talk room with [Talk Room ID] of [tr12] has a [Theme] of [Rock]. [Music] and [Rock] may be, by way of example and not limitation, keywords indicating the theme of the talk room, or may be information such as an advertisement registered by a messaging service provider. Note that a talk room with [Talk Room ID] of [tr01] has a [Theme] of [NULL]. [NULL] is information indicating that there is no data.

After transmitting the information on the first content Q11 and the second content Q14 to the terminal 20 of the user included in the second group, the server 10 acquires information on the second group from the talk room information D8, for example and not for limitation. For example, in the case of FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, the processing unit 21 of the server 10 acquires information included in [lock] as [theme] corresponding to the talk room whose [talk room ID] is [tr12], as information on the second group. For example and not for limitation, if the information included in [lock] is a keyword indicating the theme of the talk room, the server 10 acquires information that is permitted to be made public as information related to this keyword via the network. The server 10 generates the content Q18 by the processing unit 21 based on the acquired information, and transmits the content Q18 to the terminal 20 of the user included in the first group. The information included in [lock] may also be an advertisement according to the theme of the talk room, and in this case, the server 10 transmits information such as a pre-registered advertisement to the terminal 20 of the user included in the first group. When the [Topic] of the talk room corresponding to the second group is [NULL], the server 10 does not transmit information about the talk room to the terminals 20 of the users included in the first group, for example and not by way of limitation.

When the terminal 20 as described above transmits information related to the first content, it displays, by way of example and not limitation, a first image including information related to the second group in the display area 28A. In this case, by way of example and not limitation, a topic in the first group may be related to the second group, and the terminal 20 can provide information related to the second group as information related to the topic in the first group to the users included in the first group. As a result, the users included in the first group can reduce the effort of searching the Internet for information derived from information related to the first content, for example, and user convenience is improved. In addition, the terminal 20 reduces the processing when the users search the Internet for information derived from information related to the first content, for example.

When the talk room is set to be public or private, the terminal 20 may, by way of example and not limitation, transmit information about the first content and the second content based on whether the talk room is public or private. As an example and not by way of limitation, in the process of step S21 in FIG. 9, the terminal 20 may determine to transmit information about the first content and the second content when the [Type] of the talk room corresponding to the first group is [Public] (step S21: Yes). This process may or may not be performed separately from the process of step S21 in FIG. 9.

Note that talk rooms do not have to be set as public or private. As a non-limiting example, all talk rooms may be private, or all talk rooms may be public. If all talk rooms are public, then, as a non-limiting example, terminal 20 may not have to determine whether to permit transmission of information related to the first content and the second content.

When the terminal 20 transmits information related to the first content and the second content, as an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 displays a first image including information related to the second group in the display area 28A in FIG. 16, but may also display a second image including information related to the first group in the display area 28A. When the terminal 20 transmits information related to the first content and the second content, as an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 may display a first image including information related to the second group in the display area 28A, and may also display a second image including information related to the first group in the display area 28A. When the terminal 20 transmits information related to the first content and the second content, as an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 displays information related to the group as content in the display area 28A in FIG. 16, but may also display it in a form other than the content (as an example and not a limitation, a pop-up or a banner).

Eighth Embodiment
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an information processing method according to the eighth embodiment. First, an outline of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment is, by way of example and not limitation, a form in which a third image including at least a part of the first content is displayed in the display area 28A based on an input to the image T2 of the second talk room shown in the lower left diagram. In FIG. 18, the terminal 20A displaying the third image is the same as the terminal 20 that transmitted the second content. The terminal 20 displaying the third image may be a terminal different from the terminal 20 that transmitted the second content, and this form will be described in the ninth embodiment. The third image is, by way of example and not limitation, the image T1 of the first talk room shown in the lower right diagram. When a predetermined input is received to the image T2 of the second talk room, by way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 displays the image T1 of the first talk room shown in the lower right diagram in the display area 28A without going through a state in which the image TL of the talk room list shown in the upper left diagram is displayed.

By way of example and not limitation, when a talk room is selected based on the image TL of the talk room list, the terminal 20 displays an image of the talk room that includes the most recently sent content of the content included in the selected talk room. When the amount of content included in the talk room exceeds the amount that can be displayed at one time in the display area 28A, by way of example and not limitation, the image of the talk room does not include the amount of content that exceeds the amount that can be displayed at one time. By way of example and not limitation, the user can view the content included in the talk room that is not included in the image of the talk room by scrolling the display.

By way of example and not limitation, when terminal 20A displays image T1 of the first talk room based on an input for image T2 of the second talk room, it generates image T1 of the first talk room to include at least a portion of the first content. By way of example and not limitation, when the amount of content included in the first talk room exceeds the amount that can be displayed at one time in display area 28A, it extracts from the content included in the first talk room an amount of content that can be displayed at one time in display area 28A to include at least a portion of the first content, and generates image T1 of the first talk room. By way of example and not limitation, when terminal 20 displays image T1 of the first talk room based on an input for image T2 of the second talk room, the user can view image T1 of the second talk room that includes at least a portion of the first content Q1 without scrolling the display.

In the second talk room image T2 in the lower left diagram, the content Q8 is content based on the first content Q1 in the lower right diagram. As a non-limiting example, if the display area 28A is a touch panel display area and the input unit 25 is a touch panel operation unit, when the device 20 detects that the content Q8 based on the first content Q1 has been tapped in the second talk room image T2 in the lower left diagram, the device 20 displays the first talk room image T1 including the first content Q1 in the display area 28A.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals as appropriate, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

In the upper left diagram of FIG. 18, image TL is an image of a list of talk rooms. Here, it is assumed that the first talk room corresponding to the first group is [Baseball Club], and the second talk room corresponding to the second group is [User B]. It is also assumed that the terminal 20 has already sent information about the first content Q1 and the second content Q4 to the second talk room as a destination, as described in FIG. 2.

As shown in the upper right diagram, the terminal 20 displays an image T2 of the second talk room in the display area 28A. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 displays the image T2 of the second talk room based on an input to the image TL of the talk room list. As a non-limiting example, when the terminal 20 detects that the [Baseball Club] icon has been tapped on the touch panel serving as the input unit 25 and the display unit 28, it displays an image T2 of the second talk room associated with this icon.

Based on an input to the image of the second talk room displayed in the display area 28A, the terminal 20 displays a third image (the image T1 of the first talk room in the lower right diagram in FIG. 18) including the first content Q1 attached to the second content. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 displays the image T1 of the first talk room based on an input to one or both of the information on the first content Q1 and the second content Q4 included in the image T2 of the second talk room. In the example of the lower left diagram, the information on the first content Q1 is the first content Q1. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 displays the image T1 of the first talk room when it is detected that one or both of the information on the first content Q1 and the second content Q4 included in the image T2 of the second talk room have been tapped on the touch panel as the input unit 25 and the display unit 28. The terminal 20 displays the image T1 of the first talk room when it is detected that at least a part of the quoted content Q5 (the first content Q1 as an example and not a limitation) has been tapped.

As an example and not a limitation, a command to execute a process of switching the image displayed in the display area 28A from the image T2 of the second talk room to the image T1 of the first talk room is associated with a predetermined input to the image T2 of the second talk room. In the example of FIG. 18, the predetermined input is a tap on the first content Q1 included in the cited content Q5. As an example and not a limitation, when the terminal 20 detects that there is a predetermined input to the image T2 of the second talk room, the terminal 20 switches the state in which the image T2 of the second talk room is displayed in the display area 28A to a state in which the image T1 of the first talk room is displayed in the display area 28A without passing through a state in which the image TL of the talk room list is displayed in the display area 28A. The above-mentioned predetermined input may be an input other than a tap, and as an example and not a limitation, it may be an input by operating the mouse as the input unit 25, an input by voice using the microphone 26, an input by imaging using the camera 27, or an input by another input device.

When the amount of content contained in each talk room exceeds the amount that can be displayed in display area 28A at one time, terminal 20, by way of example and not limitation, extracts from the content contained in each talk room an amount of content that can be displayed in display area 28A using processing unit 21, and displays an image of the talk room including the extracted content. By way of example and not limitation, processing unit 21 generates the image of the talk room such that the newest content, which was sent most recently, is placed at the bottom of display area 28A, and the newest content is arranged in order of most recent transmission date moving upwards. By way of example and not limitation, terminal 20 also changes which content to include in the image of the talk room based on an input for the image of the talk room.

When the processing unit 21 detects that the talk room image has been flicked vertically upward on the touch panel serving as the input unit 25 and the display unit 28, for example and not for limitation, the processing unit 21 generates an image of the talk room so as to include content transmitted earlier than the content currently displayed. The terminal 20 displays the image of the talk room generated by the processing unit 21 in the display area 28A. When the processing unit 21 detects that the talk room image has been flicked vertically downward, the processing unit 21 generates an image of the talk room so as to include content transmitted later than the content currently displayed. The terminal 20 displays the image of the talk room generated by the processing unit 21 in the display area 28A. By way of example and not for limitation, the user can scroll the display by operating the input unit 25 serving as the operation unit of the touch panel, and display an image of the talk room including the desired content in the display area 28A of the terminal 20.

When the processing unit 21 displays the image T1 of the first talk room based on a predetermined input for the image T2 of the second talk room, if the amount of content included in the first talk room exceeds the amount that can be displayed at one time in the display area 28A, then, by way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 selects the content to be included in the image T1 of the first talk room from among the content included in the first talk room so as to include the first content Q1. By way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 extracts one or more pieces of content from among the content included in the first talk room whose order of transmission is consecutive to the order of the first content Q1. By way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 generates an image T1 of the first talk room in which the extracted content and the first content Q1 are arranged in the order of transmission. The terminal 20 displays the image T1 of the first talk room generated by the processing unit 21 in the display area 28A.

The third image that the terminal 20 displays in the display area 28A based on a predetermined input for the image T2 of the second talk room may be the same as the first image or may be an image different from the first image. As a non-limiting example, the third image that the terminal 20 displays in the display area 28A based on a predetermined input for the image T2 of the second talk room may be an image different from the image T1 of the first talk room that the terminal 20 displays in the display area 28A based on an input for the image TL of the talk room list. As a non-limiting example, the third image may omit or shorten at least one of the contents included in the image T1 of the first talk room.

19 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the eighth embodiment. When an application of a messaging service is started, the terminal 20 displays an image TL of a list of talk rooms in the display area 28A as shown in the upper left diagram of FIG. 18, for example and not for limitation. The processing unit 21 reads out the talk room information D2 (see FIG. 3A) stored in the storage unit 24, and generates an image TL of a list of talk rooms. Then, the processing unit 21 controls the display unit 28 to display the image TL on the display unit 28. Then, when the user selects a talk room using the input unit 23A, the processing unit 21 displays an image of the talk room in the display area 28A. Here, it is assumed that the second content associated with the first content included in the first talk room has been sent to the second talk room as a destination, and that the user has selected the second talk room. It is also assumed that the first talk room is the talk room of [User B] in the image TL of the list of talk rooms, and the second talk room is the talk room of [Baseball Club] in the image TL.

In step S61, the terminal 20 displays an image of the second talk room. As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 generates an image T2 of the second talk room as shown in the diagram in the upper right of FIG. 18 based on the talk room information D2 and the content information D3 stored in the storage unit 24. For example, the processing unit 21 identifies [List 4] as content information corresponding to the second talk room based on the talk room information D2 shown in FIG. 3(A). Then, the processing unit 21 reads out [List 4] shown in FIG. 3(C) from the content information D3 stored in the storage unit 24. Then, the processing unit 21 arranges each content defined in [List 4] in a predetermined positional relationship to generate an image T2 of the second talk room. Then, the processing unit 21 controls the display unit 28 to display the image T2 of the second talk room in the display area 28A.

In step S62, the terminal 20 determines whether there is an input to the image T2 of the second talk room. The terminal 20 accepts a user's input to the image T2 of the second talk room. As a non-limiting example, if the display area 28A is a touch panel display area and the input unit 25 is a touch panel operation unit, the user can input various information to the terminal 20 by operating the input unit 25 superimposed on the display area 28A. As a non-limiting example, as shown in the lower left diagram of FIG. 18, when it is detected that the quoted content Q5 displayed in the display area 28A has been tapped, the processing unit 21 determines that a predetermined input has been made to the image T2 of the second talk room (step S62: Yes).

Note that the process of accepting input for the image T2 of the second talk room is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 18. As a non-limiting example, the input unit 25 may be a device different from a touch panel operation unit. For example, if the input unit 25 is a mouse, the user may operate the mouse to place a pointer on the display area 28A on the quoted content Q5 (e.g., content Q1) and click the mouse to input a command to display the image T1 of the first talk room in the display area 28A. Furthermore, the terminal 20 may accept a quote request by a device different from the input unit 25, for example, by voice input using the microphone 26.

When the processing unit 21 determines that a predetermined input has been made to the image T2 of the second talk room (step S62: Yes), the terminal 20 displays a third image including the first content in the display area 28A in step S63. As a non-limiting example, the first content is a quoted content cited in the second content, and the terminal 20 displays the image T1 of the first talk room including the quoted content. When the processing unit 21 determines that a predetermined input has not been made to the image T2 of the second talk room (step S62: No), or after the processing of step S63, the terminal 20 ends the series of processes.

Figure 20 is a flow chart showing an example of processing related to display of the third image. Step S63 includes, by way of example and not limitation, the processing of steps S65 to S68. In step S65, the processing unit 21 acquires information related to the second content (by way of example and not limitation, the [Related Information] in Figure 3 (C). In the case of Figure 3 (C), the [Related Information] includes [tr01c01], which is the [Content ID] of the first content associated with the second content.

In step S66, the processing unit 21 acquires information on one or more pieces of content including the first content. As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 identifies a first talk room as a talk room including the first content based on the content ID of the first content acquired in step S65. Then, as a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 extracts one or more pieces of content that meet a predetermined condition for the first content from the content included in the identified first talk room.

The above-mentioned predetermined conditions include, by way of example and not limitation, conditions that the first content is sent in consecutive order, and the total amount of content is an amount that can be displayed in display area 28A at one time. By way of example and not limitation, of the content that is displayed in display area 28A at one time, at least a portion of one or both of the content arranged at the top and bottom of the talk room image may be displayed in display area 28A. By way of example and not limitation, the content that is displayed in display area 28A at one time may be displayed in its entirety in display area 28A, or a portion of it may be cut off by the edge of the talk room image.

The above-mentioned predetermined condition may include, by way of example and not limitation, a condition that the content is transmitted within a predetermined period including the time when the first content is transmitted. For example, the predetermined condition may include a condition that the content is transmitted on the day when the first content is transmitted, or may include a condition that the content is transmitted within a period of a predetermined length (e.g., six hours, one day, one week) including the time when the first content is transmitted. The above-mentioned predetermined condition may also include a condition related to the terminal 20 that transmitted the content or the user of the terminal 20. By way of example and not limitation, the above-mentioned predetermined condition may include a condition that the content is transmitted from the terminal 20 that transmitted the first content, or may include a condition that the content is transmitted from the terminal 20 that transmitted the second content.

The above-mentioned predetermined conditions are not limited to the above examples, and may not include at least one of the exemplified conditions, or may include conditions different from the exemplified conditions. The contents extracted by the processing unit 21 in step S66 do not have to be consecutive in the order of the time of transmission.

In step S67, the processing unit 21 generates a third image. By way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 generates the third image based on the information of the content acquired in step S66. By way of example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 arranges the content acquired in step S66 in a predetermined positional relationship to generate the third image. The third image may be the same as the first image, or may be an image different from the first image. By way of example and not limitation, the third image may be an image generated by an algorithm that generates the first image, or may be an image generated by an algorithm different from the algorithm that generates the first image.

Note that at least one of the contents placed in the third image does not have to be the same as the content contained in the first talk room, and may be, for example and without limitation, content that has been processed from the content contained in the first talk room. In step S68, the terminal 20 outputs the third image generated by the processing unit 21 to the display unit 28, and displays the third image in the display area 28A.

In this embodiment, the program P2 is an information processing program executed by a terminal of a user included in a second group including multiple users, and includes displaying a second image in a display area of the terminal, the second image being associated with a first content among a first image including content transmitted and received between each terminal of the first group including multiple users, and including the second content among the content transmitted and received between each terminal of the second group, and displaying a third image in the display area including the first content associated with the second content based on an input by the user of the terminal to the second image displayed in the display area. The program P2 causes the processing unit 21 (a computer, a CPU, for example and not limited thereto) to execute the following: displaying a second image in a display area of the terminal, the second image being associated with a first content among a first image including content transmitted and received between each terminal of the first group including multiple users, and including the second content among the content transmitted and received between each terminal of the second group, and displaying a third image in the display area including the first content associated with the second content based on an input by the user of the terminal to the second image displayed in the display area.

The terminal 20 as described above displays a third image including the first content associated with the second content in the display area based on an input by the user of the terminal for the second image displayed in the display area. Therefore, the user of the terminal 20 can know at least a part of the first content associated with the second content through the third image. As a non-limiting example, if the terminal 20 that transmitted the second content and the terminal 20 that displays the third image based on the input for the second image are the same terminal, the user can easily check the first content. As a non-limiting example, the third image includes one or both of the content transmitted before the first content and the content transmitted after the first content, in which case the user can know the flow and history of multiple contents including the first content, improving user convenience.

Ninth embodiment
Fig. 21 is a diagram showing an information processing method according to the ninth embodiment. First, an overview of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment differs from the eighth embodiment in that a second terminal (e.g., terminal 20C in Fig. 21) that displays an image of the second talk room including the second content is a terminal different from a first terminal (e.g., terminal 20A in Fig. 2) that transmits the second content.

As an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 displays the image T11 of the first talk room shown in the lower right diagram in the display area 28A based on an input to the image T12 of the second talk room shown in the lower left diagram. As an example and not a limitation, when the terminal 20 detects that a predetermined input has been made to the image T12 of the second talk room, the terminal 20 displays the image T11 of the first talk room based on information on the first content Q1. In a form in which the image T11 of the first talk room is displayed based on an input to the image T12 of the second talk room, the information on the first content includes, as an example and not a limitation, information that identifies the first content in a messaging service. The information that identifies the first content is, as an example and not a limitation, identification information of the first content. When the terminal 20 displays the image T11 of the first talk room based on an input to the image T12 of the second talk room, as an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 identifies the talk room including the first content as the first talk room based on the identification information of the first content and displays the image T11 of the first talk room.

When the terminal 20 is a terminal 20 of a user not included in the first group (e.g., terminal 20C), by way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 receives one or more pieces of content including at least a portion of the first content from among the contents included in the first talk room as content to be included in the image T11 of the first talk room based on the identification information of the first content, and generates an image T11 of the first talk room based on the received content.

When a predetermined input is received for the image T12 of the second talk room, the terminal 20, by way of example and not limitation, displays the image T11 of the first talk room in the display area 28A shown in the figure at the bottom right without going through the state of displaying the image TL of the list of talk rooms shown in the figure at the top left. When the terminal 20 is a terminal 20 of a user not included in the first group (for example, terminal 20C), by way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 receives an amount of content included in the first talk room that is set based on the amount that can be displayed in the display area 28A at one time, and displays the image T11 of the first talk room based on the received content. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 may or may not receive all of the content included in the first talk room.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals as appropriate, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

In FIG. 21, as an example and not a limitation, the user who transmitted the information about the first content and the second content is user A, and user A's terminal 20 is terminal 20A. As an example and not a limitation, terminal 20 in FIG. 21 is a terminal of user C, a user different from user A, and is terminal 20C. As an example and not a limitation, the first group corresponding to the first talk room shown in the diagram in the upper right of FIG. 2 is composed of user A and user B, and user C, the user of terminal 20C, is a user who is included in the second group but not included in the first group.

As shown in the upper left diagram of FIG. 21, terminal 20 displays, by way of example and not limitation, an image TL of a list of talk rooms associated with the terminal itself or the user of the terminal itself in display area 28A. The talk rooms associated with the terminal itself or the user of the terminal itself are, by way of example and not limitation, talk rooms including the user of the terminal itself. When a talk room is selected by input to the image TL of the talk room list, terminal 20 displays an image of the selected talk room in display area 28A. As a non-limiting example, terminal 20C displays an image T12 of a talk room with the name Ta of "Baseball Club" in display area 28A when the display area 28A is a display area of a touch panel and the input unit 25 is an operation unit of a touch panel, and when the [Baseball Club] icon in the image TL of the talk room list is tapped, as shown in the upper right diagram of FIG. 21.

In the talk room image T12, the symbol Q8 is content based on information about the first content Q1. The information about the first content Q1 is transmitted from the terminal 20A of the user A. The terminal 20C receives the information about the first content Q1 via the server 10, for example and not for limitation. The terminal 20 receives, as the information about the first content Q1, identification information of the first content Q1 and at least a portion of the first content Q1, for example and not for limitation. The terminal 20 generates an image T12 of the second talk room including the content Q8 related to the first content Q1, based on at least a portion of the received first content Q1.

Based on an input to the image T12 of the second talk room displayed in the display area 28A, the terminal 20C displays a third image (the image T11 of the first talk room in the lower right diagram in FIG. 21) including the first content Q1 associated with the second content Q4. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20C displays the image T11 of the first talk room based on an input to the quoted content Q5 included in the image T12 of the second talk room in the lower left diagram. As a non-limiting example, when the display area 28A is a display area of a touch panel and the input unit 25 is an operation unit of the touch panel, the terminal 20C displays the image T11 of the first talk room when it is detected that the quoted content Q5 included in the image T12 of the second talk room has been tapped.

As an example and not a limitation, a command to execute a process of switching the image displayed in the display area 28A from the image T12 of the second talk room to the image T11 of the first talk room is associated with a predetermined input to the image T12 of the second talk room. In the example of FIG. 21, the predetermined input is a tap on the quoted content Q5. As an example and not a limitation, when the terminal 20C detects that there is a predetermined input to the image T12 of the second talk room, the terminal 20C switches the state in which the image T12 of the second talk room is displayed in the display area 28A to a state in which the image T11 of the first talk room is displayed in the display area 28A without passing through a state in which the image TL of the talk room list is displayed in the display area 28A. The above-mentioned predetermined input may be an input other than a tap, and as an example and not a limitation, the input may be an input by operating the mouse as the input unit 25, an input by voice using the microphone 26, an input by imaging using the camera 27, or an input by another input device.

When terminal 20C detects that a specific input has been made to image T12 in the second talk room, it transmits, by way of example and not limitation, identification information of the first content Q1 to a device that stores the first content Q1. By way of example and not limitation, the device that stores the first content Q1 is one or both of terminals 20 (e.g., terminal 20A, terminal 20B) of users included in the first group and server 10.

By way of example and not limitation, terminal 20C transmits information about first content Q1 (e.g., identification information of first content Q1) and receives information about content to be included in the third image in response to transmitting the information about first content Q1. By way of example and not limitation, server 10 stores content information D7 including content included in the first talk room in storage unit 13, and upon receiving identification information of first content Q1 transmitted by terminal 20C, transmits one or more pieces of content including first content Q1 based on content information D7. Upon receiving content transmitted from server 10, terminal 20C generates the third image by arranging the received content in a predetermined positional relationship.

Note that server 10 does not need to store content information D7 including the content included in the first talk room. In this case, by way of example and not limitation, server 10 may acquire one or more pieces of content including first content Q1 from terminal 20A or terminal 20B that holds the content included in the first talk room, and transmit the acquired content to terminal 20C. By way of example and not limitation, server 10 transmits information to terminal 20A requesting the transmission of the content included in the first talk room, receives the content included in the first talk room in response to the request, and transmits the received content included in the first talk room to terminal 20C.

When the amount of content contained in each talk room exceeds the amount that can be displayed in display area 28A at one time, terminal 20C, by way of example and not limitation, extracts from the content contained in each talk room an amount of content that can be displayed in display area 28A using processing unit 21, and displays an image of the talk room including the extracted content. By way of example and not limitation, processing unit 21 generates the image of the talk room such that the newest content, which was sent most recently, is placed at the bottom of display area 28A, and the newest content is arranged in order of most recent transmission date moving upwards. By way of example and not limitation, terminal 20C also changes which content to include in the image of the talk room based on an input to the image of the talk room.

When the processing unit 21 detects that the talk room image has been flicked vertically upward on the touch panel serving as the input unit 25 and the display unit 28, for example and not for limitation, the processing unit 21 generates an image of the talk room so as to include content sent earlier than the content currently displayed. The terminal 20C displays the image of the talk room generated by the processing unit 21 in the display area 28A. When the processing unit 21 detects that the talk room image has been flicked vertically downward, the processing unit 21 generates an image of the talk room so as to include content sent later than the content currently displayed. The terminal 20C displays the image of the talk room generated by the processing unit 21 in the display area 28A. By way of example and not for limitation, the user can scroll the display by operating the input unit 25 serving as the operation unit of the touch panel, and display an image of the talk room including the desired content in the display area 28A of the terminal 20C.

When the amount of content included in the first talk room exceeds the amount that can be displayed at one time in display area 28A, the content included in image T11 of the first talk room is selected from the content included in the first talk room, for example and not limitation. The content included in image T11 of the first talk room may be selected by terminal 20A, may be selected by server 10, or may be selected by terminal 20C. Furthermore, the third image that terminal 20C displays in display area 28A based on a predetermined input for image T12 of the second talk room may be the same as the first image or may be an image different from the first image.

As described above, terminal 20C that displays the third image based on the input to the second image may be a terminal different from terminal 20A of the user that transmitted the second content. In this case, the user of terminal 20C can know at least a part of the first content associated with the second content through the third image. By way of example and not limitation, the third image includes one or both of the content transmitted before the first content and the content transmitted after the first content, in which case the user can know the flow and history of multiple contents including the first content, improving user convenience.

The second image displayed on the terminal 20 (e.g., terminal 20C) of a user other than the user who transmitted the second content may be different from the second image displayed on the terminal 20 (e.g., terminal 20A) of the user who transmitted the second content, by way of example and not limitation. Also, the third image displayed on the terminal 20 (e.g., terminal 20C) of a user other than the user who transmitted the second content may be different from the third image displayed on the terminal 20 (e.g., terminal 20A) of the user who transmitted the second content, by way of example and not limitation. Below, examples of the second image and the third image are described with reference to Figures 22 and 23.

Figure 22 is a diagram showing the process of displaying the second image and the third image. In the upper diagram of Figure 22, the symbol Q21 is content included in the image T12 of the second talk room. Unlike the second content Q4 associated with the first content Q1, the content Q21 is a third content that is not associated with other content. By way of example and not limitation, the third content Q21 is content that does not quote other content. The third content Q21 and information about the user who sent the third content Q21 are paired and displayed in the display area 28A. By way of example and not limitation, the information about the user is information that identifies the user who sent the content.

In FIG. 22, the user who sent the third content Q21 is user D, and the information about the user includes, by way of example and not limitation, the icon and username of user D. As an example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20C arranges the third content Q21 and information about the user who sent the third content Q21 (e.g., icon Ud1, username Ud2) in a predetermined positional relationship in the image T12 of the second talk room. In addition, information about the user who sent the second content Q4 among the contents included in the image T12 of the second talk room is set not to be displayed in the display area 28A. As an example and not limitation, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20C does not arrange information about the user who sent the second content Q4 for the second content Q4 in the image T12 of the second talk room.

The lower diagram of FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a third image (here, an image T11 of the first talk room) in a case where information about the user who sent the second content Q4 is set not to be displayed, as an example and not a limitation. In the image T11 of the first talk room displayed based on the image T12 of the second talk room, information about the user who sent each content is set not to be displayed in the display area 28A. In the case of the image T11 of the first talk room shown in the lower right diagram of FIG. 21, the user who sent the first content Q1 is user A. In the image T11 of the first talk room, information about the user is, as an example and not a limitation, an icon Ua1 and a user name Ua2 of user A. The icon Ua1 and the user name Ua2 are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the first content Q1. In the case of the image T11 of the first talk room shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 22, information about the user who sent the first content Q1 is set not to be displayed in the display area 28A. In the image T11 of the first talk room shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 22, as an example and not a limitation, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20C does not arrange information about the user who sent the content included in the first talk room in the image T11 of the first talk room. In this case, by way of example and not limitation, terminal 20C may or may not receive information about the user who sent the content included in the first talk room.

23 is a diagram showing a process for displaying the second image and the third image. Among the contents included in the image T12 of the second talk room shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 23, information about the user who sent the second content Q4 is set not to be displayed in the display area 28A. By way of example and not of limitation, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20C does not place information about the user who sent the second content Q4 in the image T12 of the second talk room. Moreover, instead of information about the user who sent the second content Q4, the image T12 of the second talk room includes information that does not identify the user who sent the second content Q4. By way of example and not of limitation, the information that does not identify the user is the icon Ux1 and the user name Ux2 given by the terminal 20C. By way of example and not of limitation, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20C places the second content Q4, the icon Ux1, and the user name Ux2 in a predetermined positional relationship to generate the image T12 of the second talk room.

The lower diagram of FIG. 23 is a diagram showing, as an example and not a limitation, a third image (here, the image T11 of the first talk room) in the case where information not specifying a user is displayed instead of information about the user who sent the second content Q4. In the image T11 of the first talk room displayed based on the image T12 of the second talk room, information about the user who sent each content is set not to be displayed in the display area 28A. The image T11 of the first talk room includes information not specifying a user instead of information about the user who sent each content. The information not specifying a user is, as an example and not a limitation, an icon Ux1 and a user name Ux2 for user A shown in the lower right diagram of FIG. 21, and an icon Uy1 and a user name Uy2 for user B. The icons Ux1 and Uy1 are set in one-to-one correspondence with the users of the first group corresponding to the first talk room (here, user A and user B), respectively, but it is not clear which users they correspond to. Additionally, the user names Ux2 and Uy2 are each set in one-to-one correspondence with the users of the first group (here, user A and user B) corresponding to the first talk room, but it is not explicitly stated which users they correspond to.

22 and 23, when the setting is made such that information about the user who sent the second content is not displayed in the display area 28A, each user is less likely to be identified by other users when the user sends information about the first content by the terminal 20. This information processing method is, by way of example and not by way of limitation, easier for users to quote other users' content, which contributes to the sharing of information. Furthermore, when the setting is made such that information about the user who sent each content is not displayed when the third image is displayed based on the input to the second image, each user in the first talk room is less concerned that information about the user will be known by a user who viewed the third image, improving user convenience. Furthermore, when information that does not identify the user is displayed instead of information about the user, the spread of information about the user is suppressed, and it is easier to grasp the context of the content included in the third image.

Tenth Embodiment
FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the tenth embodiment. First, an overview of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment is, by way of example and not limitation, a form in which it is determined whether or not to permit display of an image of the first talk room based on a user's input to an image of the second talk room. By way of example and not limitation, when a predetermined input to an image of the second talk room is detected, if the user of the terminal 20 satisfies a predetermined condition, the terminal 20 displays an image of the first talk room in the display area 28A. By way of example and not limitation, the predetermined condition is that the user who transmitted the second content is the same as the user of the terminal 20. By way of example and not limitation, the third image is displayed in the display area 28A when the user who transmitted the second content is the same as the user of the terminal 20.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals will be used for configurations similar to those in the above-mentioned embodiments as appropriate, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

The processing of steps S61 and S62 in FIG. 24 is the same as that in FIG. 19, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified. When the processing unit 21 determines in step S62 that there is an input for the image of the second talk room (step S62: Yes), the terminal 20 determines in step S71 whether to permit the display of the third image. As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 determines that the display of the third image is permitted when the user who transmitted the second content is the same as the user of the terminal (step S71: Yes). As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 executes the processing of step S71 based on the content information D3 shown in FIG. 3(C). In the example of FIG. 3(C), the second content is a content whose [content ID] is [tr01c01], and whose [transmitting user ID] is [user A]. In this case, the processing unit 21 compares the user ID of the user of the terminal with [user A], which is the [transmitting user ID] corresponding to the second content, and determines whether the two match.

When the processing unit 21 determines that the display of the third image is permitted (step S71: Yes), the terminal 20 displays the third image in step S72. If the user who sent the second content is the same as the user of the terminal, this user is included in the first group corresponding to the first talk room, and the terminal 20 stores content information D3 including the content included in the first talk room in the storage unit 24, as an example and not a limitation. In step S72, the processing unit 21 generates a third image based on the content information D3 (see FIG. 3(B)) stored in the storage unit 24, as an example and not a limitation. Then, the processing unit 21 controls the display unit 28 to display the generated third image in the display area 28A.

If the processing unit 21 determines in step S62 that there is no input for the image of the second talk room (step S62: No), or if the processing unit 21 determines in step S71 that the display of the third image is not permitted (step S72: No), the device 20 ends the series of processes related to the display of the third image.

As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 as described above displays the third image in the display area 28A when the user who transmitted the second content is the same as the user of the terminal 20. As a non-limiting example, such an information processing method prevents the third image from being displayed on the terminal 20 of a user other than the user who transmitted the second content, and prevents the information included in the third image from spreading to unexpected users. As a result, the user of the terminal 20 can view the first content associated with the second content without worrying about the unintended spread of information, improving user convenience.

Eleventh Embodiment
FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the eleventh embodiment. First, an outline of this embodiment will be described. The eleventh embodiment is, as an example and not a limitation, a form in which an image of the first talk room is displayed on a terminal of a user not included in the first group based on an input to an image of the second talk room. As an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 displays an image of the first talk room when a user included in the first group and a user included in the second group satisfy a predetermined condition. As an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 displays an image of the first talk room when N3 or more users, excluding the user of the terminal, among the users included in the second group are included in the first group. The above N3 is, as an example and not a limitation, an arbitrary value of 1 or more, and is a value that is set in advance. As an example and not a limitation, the image of the first talk room is displayed in the display area 28A when one or more users, excluding the user of the terminal, among the users included in the second group are included in the first group.

In addition, in this embodiment, as an example and not a limitation, when the image of the first talk room is displayed based on an input to the image of the second talk room by a user not included in the first group, the user is included in the first group. For example, in FIG. 21, user C of terminal 20C is a user not included in the first group corresponding to the first talk room and is included in the second group corresponding to the second talk room. As an example and not a limitation, when there is a predetermined input to the image T12 of the second talk room, terminal 20C transmits information requesting the transmission of content included in the first talk room. The information requesting the transmission of content includes, as an example and not a limitation, the identification information of the first content. When the server 10 receives the information requesting the transmission of content and transmits the content included in the first talk room in response thereto, as an example and not a limitation, the server 10 adds user C of terminal 20C to the first group. Note that, as an example and not a limitation, the information requesting the transmission of content may be transmitted to terminal 20 (e.g., terminal 20A, terminal 20B) included in the first group via server 10. In this case, terminal 20 included in the first group may add user C of terminal 20C to the first group.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals will be used for configurations similar to those in the above-mentioned embodiments as appropriate, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

The processes of steps S61 and S62 in FIG. 25 are similar to those in FIG. 19, and therefore their description will be omitted or simplified. When the processing unit 21 determines in step S62 that there is an input for the image in the second talk room (step S62: Yes), the terminal 20 determines in step S75 whether to permit the display of the third image. As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 determines that the display of the third image is permitted when N2 or more users, excluding the user who sent the second content, among the users included in the second group are included in the first group. The above N2 is a value arbitrarily set from integers equal to or greater than 1.

Here, it is assumed that user A and user B make up the first group, and user A is the user who sent the second content. It is also assumed that user A, user B, user C, and user D make up the second group. If the user of the own terminal is user C, the users included in the second group excluding the user who sent the second content are user A, user C, and user D, and of these users, user A is included in the first group. Therefore, the processing unit 21 of user C's terminal 20C determines to permit the display of the third image.

When the processing unit 21 determines that the display of the third image is permitted (step S75: Yes), the terminal 20 displays the third image in step S76. When the user of the terminal is included in the first group, the processing unit 21 generates the third image based on the content information D3 stored in the storage unit 24, for example and not by way of limitation. The third image is an image of the first talk room including the first content, for example and not by way of limitation. When the user of the terminal is not included in the first group, the processing unit 21 generates the third image based on the content transmitted from the server 10 or the terminal 20 of a user included in the first group, for example and not by way of limitation. The processing unit 21 controls the display unit 28 to display the generated third image in the display area 28A.

In addition, in step S77, the processing unit 21 determines whether the user of the own terminal is included in the first group. When the processing unit 21 determines that the user of the own terminal is not included in the first group (step S77: No), in step S78, the processing unit 21 adds the user of the own terminal to the first group. At least a part of the processing of steps S77 and S78 may be included in the processing of step S76, for example and not limitation. When the processing unit 21 determines that the user of the own terminal is included in the first group, the processing unit 21 may generate a third image based on the content information D3 stored in the storage unit 24. When the terminal 20 determines that the user of the own terminal is not included in the first group, the terminal 20 may receive content to be included in the third image from the server 10 or the terminal 20 of the user included in the first group. In this case, the terminal 20 may transmit request information requesting transmission of content to be included in the third image, and the server 10 or the terminal 20 of the user included in the first group that receives the request information may execute a process of adding the user of the terminal 20 that transmitted the request information to the first group.

When the processing unit 21 determines in step S75 that display of the third image is not permitted (step S75: No), the terminal 20 notifies the user in step S79 that display of the third image is not permitted, by way of example and not limitation. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may display a message such as "Third image cannot be displayed" in the display area 28A, or may output a sound such as a voice or alarm stating "Third image cannot be displayed" from the speaker 29. Note that the processing of step S75 may not be performed.

If the processing unit 21 determines in step S62 that there is no input for the image of the second talk room (step S62: No), or if the processing unit 21 determines in step S77 that the user of the terminal is included in the first group (step S77: Yes), the terminal 20 ends the series of processes related to displaying the third image based on the input for the second image after processing in step S78 or after processing in step S79.

As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 as described above displays the third image when the first group includes M or more users, excluding the user who sent the second content, among the multiple users included in the second group. In other words, the terminal 20 displays the third image when there are overlapping users in the first and second groups other than the user who sent the second content. Thus, as a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 can display the third image including the first content transmitted and received between terminals in the first group that have a relationship with the second group, and can share information while suppressing, for example, unintended diffusion of information.

In addition, when the user of the terminal 20 is not included in the first group and displays the third image based on an input by the user of the terminal 20 for the second content, the user of the terminal 20 is registered in the first group. Such an information processing method contributes to suppressing unintended spread of information, since the user of the terminal 20 that displays the third image is included in the first group that transmitted and received the first content. Note that, as a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 of a user that is not included in the first group may display the third image after the user of the terminal is added to the first group. In addition, a user that is not included in the first group may be added to the first group after the user's terminal 20 displays the third image.

The display possibility determination process for determining whether or not to permit display of the third image is executed in step S75 based on the users included in the first group and the users included in the second group, but is not limited to this example. As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 may execute the display possibility determination process based on the type of the talk room described in FIG. 17. As a non-limiting example, the processing unit 21 may determine that display of the third image including the first content is permitted when the type of the first talk room including the first content is [public]. Such a display possibility determination process may be executed instead of the process of step S75, or may be executed separately from the process of step S75, or may not be executed.

In addition, when the display of the third image is not permitted, the terminal 20 may change the form of the first content included in the second image, for example and not by way of limitation. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a process related to the display of the second image when the display of the third image is not permitted.

In the upper diagram of FIG. 26, the image T12 of the second talk room includes the first information Q25 regarding the first content. The first information Q25 is information with a smaller amount of information than the first content Q1 shown in the diagram at the lower right of FIG. 21. The first information Q25 is information based on information regarding the first content, by way of example and not limitation. The first information Q25 is information with the first content Q1 shortened, compressed, or part of the first content Q1 omitted, by way of example and not limitation. When the display of a third image (e.g., the image T11 of the first talk room) based on an input by the user of the terminal 20 for the image T12 of the second talk room is not permitted, the terminal 20 displays the image T12 of the second talk room including the second information Q26, by way of example and not limitation, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 26. The second information Q26 is information with a larger amount of information regarding the first content than the first information. The second information Q26 is information with a larger amount of information regarding the first content, by way of example and not limitation, based on information regarding the first content. The second information Q26 is, by way of example and not limitation, the same as the first content Q1.

In this way, when the terminal 20 displays the second image including the first information Q25 that has a smaller amount of information than the first content Q1, the terminal 20 can compactly display information related to the first content Q1, by way of example and not by way of limitation. As a result, the terminal 20 can increase the number of contents displayed at one time in the display area 28A, and can increase the amount of information provided to the user.

Furthermore, by way of example and not limitation, when the terminal 20 is not permitted to display a third image (e.g., image T11 of the first talk room) based on an input by the user of the terminal for image T12 of the second talk room, the terminal 20 displays image T12 of the second talk room including second information Q26 that has a greater amount of information about the first content than first information Q25. Such an information processing method contributes to preventing unintended spread of content included in the first talk room that is different from the first content, and can facilitate the provision of more information about the first content to a user who is not permitted to display the third image.

<Twelfth embodiment>
FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing an information processing method according to the twelfth embodiment. First, an overview of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment differs from the above-described embodiment in that information requesting permission to display an image of the first talk room is transmitted from the terminal 20. In the following description, the information requesting permission to display an image of the first talk room is referred to as a display permission request, and the terminal 20 transmitting the display permission request is referred to as a third terminal. When the server 10 receives a display permission request transmitted by the third terminal, the server 10 transmits, as a response to the display permission request, information based on a determination result of whether or not the third terminal is permitted to display an image of the first talk room. When the server 10 receives information based on the determination result, the server 10 transmits, as a response to the display permission request, information based on a determination result of whether or not the third terminal is permitted to display an image of the first talk room. When the server 10 receives information based on the determination result, the server 10 displays the image of the first talk room in the display area 28A of the server 10 based on the information.

In addition, the present embodiment is, by way of example and not limitation, a form in which whether or not to permit display of an image of the first talk room based on an input for an image of the second talk room is determined based on multiple conditions. The terminal 20 determines whether or not to permit display of an image of the first talk room in the display area 28A of the terminal 20. When the terminal 20 determines that display of the image of the first talk room is permitted, the terminal 20 displays the image of the first talk room, and when the terminal 20 determines that display of the first talk room is not permitted, the terminal 20 transmits a display permission request. As an example and not limitation, a device different from the third terminal (e.g., the server 10, the terminal 20 that transmitted the second content) that receives the display permission request determines whether or not to permit the third terminal to display an image of the first talk room. The third terminal displays the image of the first talk room based on the response to the display permission request.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be given the same reference numerals as appropriate, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

In FIG. 27, the processes of steps S61 and S62 are similar to those in FIG. 19, and therefore their description will be omitted or simplified. When the processing unit 21 determines in step S62 that there is an input for the image in the second talk room (step S62: Yes), the terminal 20 determines in step S81 whether or not to permit the display of the third image. As a non-limiting example, when the user who transmitted the second content is the same as the user of the terminal, the processing unit 21 determines that the display of the third image is permitted (step S81: Yes). When the terminal 20 determines that the display of the third image is not permitted (step S81: No), it transmits a permission request for the display of the third image.

When the server 10 receives the permission request sent by the terminal 20, in step S83, the server 10 determines whether or not to permit the display of the third image. By way of example and not of limitation, the server 10 determines that the display of the third image is permitted when, among the users included in the second group, M or more users excluding the user who sent the second content are included in the first group. When the server 10 determines that the display of the third image is permitted (step S83: Yes), in step S84, it transmits information related to the third image. By way of example and not of limitation, the information related to the third image is content that is permitted to be included in the third image. By way of example and not of limitation, the server 10 transmits information related to the third image as a notification that permits the display of the third image.

If the server 10 determines that the display of the third image is not permitted (step S83: No), it determines in step S85 whether or not to disallow the display of the third image. If the server 10 determines in step S83 that the display of the third image is not permitted, it determines that the display of the third image is to be disallowed. If the server 10 determines that the display of the third image is to be disallowed (step S85: Yes), it transmits a disallowance notification indicating that the display of the third image is not permitted in step S86.

The processes from step S83 to step S86 may be executed by the terminal 20 permitted to display the image of the first talk room, or may be executed by the terminal 20 and the server 10, as an example and not a limitation. The terminal 20 permitted to display the image of the first talk room is, as an example and not a limitation, one or more of the terminals 20 of users included in the first group corresponding to the first talk room.

In step S87, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 determines whether or not a non-permission notification has been received. If the processing unit 21 determines that a non-permission notification has not been received (step S87: No), then in step S88, the processing unit 21 determines whether or not information regarding the third image has been received. If the processing unit 21 determines that information regarding the third image has not been received (step S88: No), then the processing unit 21 returns to step S87 and repeats the subsequent processes.

If the processing unit 21 determines in step S81 that the display of the third image is permitted (step S81: Yes), or if the processing unit 21 determines in step S88 that information related to the third image has been received (step S88: Yes), the terminal 20 displays the third image in step S89. As a non-limiting example, if the processing unit 21 determines in step S81 that the display of the third image is permitted (step S81: Yes), the terminal 20 displays the third image based on the content information stored in the storage unit 24. Also, the terminal 20 displays the third image in the display area 28A based on the reception of a response to the permission request by the communication unit (communication I/F 22, as an example and not a limitation). As a non-limiting example, if the processing unit 21 determines that information related to the third image has been received (step S88: Yes), the terminal 20 displays the third image based on the received information related to the third image.

As an example and not by way of limitation, when the terminal 20 determines in step S87 that a non-permission notification has been received, it displays information regarding whether or not to permit display of the third image in the display area 28A. As an example and not by way of limitation, when the terminal 20 determines that a non-permission notification has been received, it displays a message saying "Third image cannot be displayed" in the display area 28A. As an example and not by way of limitation, when the terminal 20 determines that a non-permission notification has been received, it may output a voice or alarm sound such as "Third image cannot be displayed" from the speaker 29.

The above information processing method includes, as an example and not a limitation, determining whether to permit display of the image of the first talk room based on an input for the image of the second talk room under multiple conditions. As an example and not a limitation, such information processing method allows detailed setting of conditions for permitting transmission of information related to the first content, so that information can be shared among multiple users while preventing unintended information leakage. As an example and not a limitation, when the content Q8 based on the first content shown in the lower left diagram of FIG. 21 is selected, if the user of the terminal 20 who transmitted the second content Q4 associated with the first content is the same as the user of the terminal 20, the terminal 20 permits display of the image T11 of the first talk room and displays the image T11 of the first talk room. In this case, the user can quickly view the image T11 of the first talk room, which is highly convenient for the user. Furthermore, if the user of the terminal 20 who transmitted the second content Q4 associated with the first content is different from the user of the terminal 20, the terminal 20 displays the image of the first talk room based on a response to a request for permission to display the image of the first talk room. This type of information processing method, by way of example and not limitation, provides the possibility for terminal 20 to display an image of the first talk room on a terminal of a user other than the user of terminal 20 that sent second content Q4, thereby improving user convenience.

Furthermore, the terminal 20, as an example and not a limitation, transmits a request for permission to display the third image through the communication unit of the terminal 20, and displays the third image in the display area 28A based on receiving a response to the permission request through the communication unit. Such an information processing method, as an example and not a limitation, does not require the terminal 20 to determine whether or not to permit display of the third image, and can reduce the processing load of the terminal 20. Furthermore, such an information processing method, as an example and not a limitation, can display the image of the first talk room based on the response to the request for permission to display in a state in which the terminal 20 lacks information required to determine whether or not to permit display of the image of the first talk room. As a result, the terminal 20 is more likely to be able to display the image of the first talk room, and user convenience is improved. Furthermore, this information processing method, as an example and not a limitation, determines whether or not to permit display of the third image in an external device (as an example and not a limitation, the server 10) of the terminal 20 that is scheduled to display the third image, and can therefore prevent the first talk room from being illegally viewed.

Note that, as an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 may not determine whether or not to permit the image of the first talk room to be displayed in the display area 28A of the terminal 20. As an example and not a limitation, in the case of FIG. 27, the terminal 20 determines whether or not to display the third image in step S81, but this process may not be performed. As an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 may transmit a display permission request in step S82 without performing the process of step S81. In this case, as an example and not a limitation, the server 10 may perform a determination equivalent to step S81. As an example and not a limitation, the server 10 may determine whether or not the user of the terminal 20 that transmitted the display permission request is the same as the user of the terminal 20 that transmitted the second content. As an example and not a limitation, this determination may be at least a part of the process of step S83, or may be a process performed separately from step S83.

Figures 28(A) and 28(B) are diagrams showing the process of displaying a second image including content for which display of a third image is permitted, and the process of displaying a second image including content for which display of a third image is not permitted, respectively. Here, if the user who sent the second content is the same as the user of the own terminal, display of the third image is permitted based on the input for the second image including the second content.

The left diagram in Figure 28 (A) shows image T2 of the second talk room displayed on terminal 20A. In image T2 of the second talk room, second content Q4 is content sent by user A, and is content for which a third image is permitted to be displayed in display area 28A of terminal 20A. Furthermore, symbol Q31 is content input by terminal 20A. Content Q31 is not associated with other content, and is content different from second content Q4.

The content Q31 input by the terminal 20A and the second content Q4 for which the display of the third image is permitted are displayed in the display area 28A side by side in the first direction with respect to the second image, the image T2 of the second talk room. As an example and not a limitation, the first direction is the vertical direction of the image T2 of the second talk room, and the second direction intersecting with the first direction is the horizontal direction of the image T2 of the second talk room. As an example and not a limitation, the content Q31 and the second content Q4 have approximately the same position of one end (the right end in FIG. 28) in the second direction (the horizontal direction in FIG. 28A) of the image T2 of the second talk room. As an example and not a limitation, the content Q31 and the second content Q4 have the position of the one end in the second direction (the horizontal direction in FIG. 28A) set to one side (the right side in FIG. 28) with respect to the center line CL of the image T2 of the second talk room.

The left diagram in Fig. 28(A) shows image T12 of the second talk room displayed on terminal 20C. In image T12 of the second talk room, second content Q4 is content for which the display of the third image is not permitted because user A, who sent it, is different from user C, who is the user of the terminal itself. Content Q6 is content input by terminal 20C. As an example and not a limitation, the position of one end of the content Q6 input by the own terminal in the second direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 28A) is set to one side (right side in FIG. 28A) of the center line CL of the image T12 of the second talk room. As an example and not a limitation, the positions of one end (left end in FIG. 28A) of the content Q6 and Q7 transmitted from the other terminal and the second content Q4 in the second direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 28A) of the second talk room image T12 are approximately the same. As an example and not a limitation, the positions of one end of the content Q7 and content Q31 transmitted from the other terminal and the second content Q4 in the second direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 28A) are set to the opposite side (left side in FIG. 28A) of the content Q6 input by the own terminal with respect to the center line CL of the image T2 of the second talk room.

In FIG. 28(B), each symbol is the same as in FIG. 28(A). In the image T2 of the second talk room displayed on the terminal 20A, the second content Q4 in which the display of the third image is permitted is displayed in a manner different from the second content Q4 in which the display of the third image is not permitted in the image T12 of the second talk room displayed on the terminal 20C. Each content is displayed as an item in which the main body of the content is enclosed in a frame (e.g., a frame in the shape of a speech bubble), as an example and not a limitation. The second content Q4 in which the display of the third image is permitted is displayed in a form in which one or both of the color and brightness of the frame are different from those of the contents Q6 and Q7 transmitted from the other terminal, as an example and not a limitation. As an example and not a limitation, the second content Q4 has a first color (e.g., green) inside the frame, and the contents Q6 and Q7 have a second color (e.g., white) different from the first color inside the frame. The second content Q4 for which the third image is permitted to be displayed may be displayed in the same display format as the content Q31 input by the own terminal, or may be displayed in a display format different from the content Q31 input by the own terminal and different from the second content, by way of example and not limitation.

In addition, in the image T12 of the second talk room displayed on the terminal 20C, the second content Q4 in which the display of the third image is not permitted is displayed in a form different from the content Q6 input by the terminal itself. Each content is displayed as an item in which the main body of the content is enclosed in a frame (for example, a frame in the shape of a speech bubble), by way of example and not of limitation. The second content Q4 in which the display of the third image is not permitted is displayed in a form in which one or both of the color and brightness of the frame are different from the content Q6 input by the terminal itself, by way of example and not of limitation. As an example and not of limitation, the inside of the frame of the content Q6 is a first color (for example, green), and the inside of the frame of the second content Q4 is a second color (for example, white) different from the first color. As an example and not of limitation, the second content Q4 in which the display of the third image is not permitted may be displayed in the same display form as the content Q7 and the content Q31 transmitted from the other terminal, or may be displayed in a display form different from the content Q6 input by the terminal itself and different from the second content.

By way of example and not limitation, terminal 20 displays the content input by its own terminal and the second content for which display of the third image is permitted in the display area 28A, arranged in the first direction relative to the image of the second talk room. According to this information processing method, the user can visually recognize the content that is in the same positional relationship as the content by its own terminal relative to the image of the second talk room as the second content for which display of the third image is permitted. As a result, the information processing method reduces the effort required by the user to determine whether or not the third image can be displayed, and contributes to improving user convenience.

As shown in FIG. 28(A), when the position in the first direction in the second image is different between the second content in which the display of the third image is permitted and the content in which the display of the third image is not permitted, the user can visually grasp whether the content is permitted to display the third image or not. Also, as shown in FIG. 28(B), when the display form in the second image is different between the second content in which the display of the third image is permitted and the content in which the display of the third image is not permitted, the user can visually grasp whether the content is permitted to display the third image or not. This information processing method can suppress the user from making an input requesting the display of the third image for content in which the display of the third image is not permitted. As a result, this information processing method contributes to improving user convenience and reducing the load on the terminal.

Thirteenth Embodiment
FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an information processing method according to the thirteenth embodiment. First, an outline of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment is, by way of example and not limitation, a form in which an image of a first talk room is displayed based on an input to an image of a second talk room, and then an image of a second talk room is displayed based on an input to the image of the first talk room. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal 20 displays an image T1 of a first talk room including a first content Q1 as shown in the upper right diagram in the case where an input is made to a content Q8 based on a first content as shown in the upper left diagram of FIG. By way of example and not limitation, as shown in the lower left diagram, the terminal 20 displays an image T2 of a second talk room as shown in the lower right diagram in the case where an input is made to the first content Q1 in the image T1 of the first talk room displayed based on an input to the image T2 of the second talk room.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals will be used for configurations similar to those in the above-mentioned embodiments as appropriate, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

In the upper left diagram of FIG. 19, the terminal 20 displays, by way of example and not limitation, an image T2 of the second talk room in the display area 28A. Based on an input to the image T2 of the second talk room, the terminal 20 displays, by way of example and not limitation, an image T1 of the first talk room in the display area 28A as a third image, as shown in the upper right diagram. The terminal 20 displays the image T1 of the first talk room in the display area 28A based on an input by the user of the terminal 20 to the image T2 of the second talk room, and then displays the image T1 of the first talk room in the display area 28A based on an input to the terminal by the user of the terminal 20. By way of example and not limitation, the second image is displayed in the display area 28A based on an input to the first content in the third image by the input unit 25 of the terminal 20. As a non-limiting example, if the display area 28A is a display area of a touch panel and the input unit 25 is an operation unit of the touch panel, when the device 20 detects that the first content Q1 in the image T1 of the first talk room has been tapped as shown in the lower left diagram, it displays the image T2 of the second talk room as shown in the lower right diagram.

When the image displayed in the display area 28A is switched, the processing unit 21 of the terminal 20 stores in the storage unit 24 history information related to the history of the images displayed in the display area 28A. When the image displayed in the display area 28A is switched from the image T2 of the second talk room to the image T1 of the first talk room, the processing unit 21 stores in the storage unit 24 information on the content included in the image T2 of the second talk room that was previously displayed. When the image displayed in the display area 28A is switched from the image T1 of the first talk room to the image T2 of the second talk room, the terminal 20 reproduces the image T2 of the second talk room that was previously displayed by referring to the history information, and displays the reproduced image T2 of the second talk room in the display area 28A. When an input is made to request the display of the second image for the third image, the terminal 20 displays the second image without going through the image T1 of the talk room list as shown in the upper left diagram of FIG. 2.

The terminal 20 as described above displays a third image (an image of the first talk room, as an example and not a limitation) in the display area 28A based on an input by the user of the terminal for the second content, and then displays an image of the second talk room in the display area 28A based on an input by the user of the terminal. According to this information processing method, the user can easily display the second image after displaying the third image in the display area 28A of the terminal 20, as an example and not a limitation. As an example and not a limitation, when the user wants to see the second content Q4 included in the image T2 of the second talk room and find out its background, the user can easily display the image T1 of the first talk room on the terminal 20, check the first content Q1 or the content before and after it, and then return the display of the terminal 20 to the image T2 of the second talk room. Such an information processing method contributes to improving the convenience of the user. In addition, the terminal 20 can reduce the operation by the user when switching from displaying the third image to displaying the second image, as an example and not a limitation, and as a result, the load on the terminal 20 is reduced.

Furthermore, as an example and not a limitation, the terminal 20 displays an image of the second talk room in the display area 28A based on an input to the first content in the third image by the input unit 23A of the terminal 20. According to this information processing method, as an example and not a limitation, the first content is content associated with the second content, and the user can display an image of the second talk room by inputting such first content, so that the input method for displaying the third image is easy to understand, and user convenience is improved. Also, as an example and not a limitation, this information processing method can reduce erroneous input to the terminal 20 when displaying the third image, and can reduce the load on the terminal 20.

In the information processing method according to the present embodiment, in the example of FIG. 29, the first talk room image T1 is displayed based on an input to the second talk room image T2, and then the second talk room image T2 is displayed based on an input to the first talk room image T1, but this is not limited to this example. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may display the second talk room image T2 in the display area 28A based on an input to the first talk room image T1 displayed based on an input to the talk room list image TL. As a non-limiting example, as shown in FIG. 8(B), when the first talk room image T1 includes information Th indicating that information related to the first content Q1 has been transmitted ("cited" in FIG. 8(B)), the user can know that the first content Q1 has been cited. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may display the second talk room image T2 as shown in the lower right diagram of FIG. 29 based on an input to the first content Q1 or information Th included in the first talk room image T1.

In addition, the terminal 20 may display in the display area 28A a list indicating the history of images displayed in the display area 28A, and display in the display area 28A an image selected by the user from the list. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may display a list in which the names of talk rooms corresponding to the images of talk rooms displayed in the display area 28A are arranged in the order in which they were displayed. As a non-limiting example, the user may select from the list the name of the talk room corresponding to the image of the talk room displayed two times previously, thereby causing the image of the talk room displayed two times previously on the terminal 20 to be redisplayed in the display area 28A of the terminal 20.

When the second image is displayed based on a predetermined input to the third image, the form of the predetermined input is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 29. As a non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may display a third image including an icon such as "Back," and when it detects that this icon has been tapped, the terminal 20 may display the second image. The above-mentioned predetermined input may be an input other than a tap, and as a non-limiting example, it may be an input by operating a mouse as the input unit 25, a voice input using the microphone 26, an image capture input using the camera 27, or an input by another input device.

<Fourteenth embodiment>
FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an information processing method according to the fourteenth embodiment. First, an outline of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, as an example and not a limitation, when the image of the first talk room is displayed based on an input for the image of the second talk room, information about the talk room is displayed in the display area 28A. As an example and not a limitation, when the terminal 20 displays the image T6 of the first talk room based on an input for the image T7 of the second talk room, the terminal 20 displays the image T7 of the second talk room including an advertisement related to the first talk room. As an example and not a limitation, when the server 10 detects that the terminal 20 has displayed the image T6 of the first talk room based on an input for the image T7 of the second talk room, the server 10 generates content Q32 related to the first talk room. As an example and not a limitation, the server 10 transmits the generated content Q32 to the terminal 20 of the user of the second group.

Next, this embodiment will be described in more detail. The contents described in this embodiment can be applied to the other embodiments as appropriate. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals as appropriate, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

In the upper left diagram of FIG. 30, the terminal 20 displays an image T7 of the second talk room as the second image in the display area 28A. Based on the input for the image T7 of the second talk room, the terminal 20 displays an image T6 of the first talk room as the third image in the display area 28A as shown in the upper right diagram. The terminal 20 displays an image T6 of the first talk room in the display area 28A based on the input by the user of the terminal 20 for the image T2 of the second talk room, and then displays an image T7 of the second talk room in the display area 28A as shown in the lower right diagram based on the input to the terminal by the user of the terminal 20 as shown in the lower left diagram.

When the terminal 20 displays an image T6 of the first talk room in the display area 28A based on an input by the user of the terminal 20 for the image T2 of the second talk room, and then displays an image T7 of the second talk room in the display area 28A based on an input by the user of the terminal 20 to the terminal, the terminal 20 displays an image T7 of the second talk room including information about the first group corresponding to the first talk room. The symbol Q32 in the lower right diagram is content including information about the first group. Here, the talk room corresponding to the first group is a talk room named [Music]. As an example and not a limitation, the content Q32 includes information related to the [Music] talk room as information related to the [Music] talk room, which is in line with the theme of the [Music] talk room. As an example and not a limitation, the content Q32 is content generated and transmitted by the server 10.

When the terminal 20 as described above redisplays the second image based on the input for the third image, it displays the second image including information about the first group in the display area 28A, for example and not by way of limitation. When the terminal 20 redisplays the second image based on the input for the third image, it is possible that a topic in the second group is related to the first group, and the terminal 20 can provide information about the first group to a user included in the second group as information related to the topic in the second group. As a result, the effort required for a user included in the second group to search the Internet for information derived from information about the first content, for example, is reduced, improving user convenience. In addition, the terminal 20 reduces the processing required when a user searches the Internet for information derived from information about the first content, for example.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the aspects described in the above-mentioned embodiments. One or more of the requirements described in the above-mentioned embodiments may be omitted. Furthermore, the requirements described in the above-mentioned embodiments may be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of the country or region in which the technology disclosed herein is implemented, the disclosures of all documents cited in the above-mentioned embodiments are incorporated by reference and made part of the description in this text.

1: communication system, 10: server, 11: processing unit, 13: storage unit, 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D: terminal, 21: processing unit, 22: communication unit (communication I/F), 23A: input unit, 24: storage unit, 28: display unit, 28A: display area, P1: program, P2: program, Q1: first content, Q4: second content, T1: first image (image of first talk room, third image), T2: second image (image of second talk room), Q11: first content, Q14: second content, Q25: first information, Q26: second information, T11: first image (image of first talk room, third image), T12: second image (image of second talk room)

Claims (15)

A program included in a first talk room including a first user and a second user, the program being executed by a terminal of a user different from the first user and the second user,
a control unit of the terminal performs control to display a first area in which the user can input content on a display unit of the terminal based on an input by the user to a first content displayed in the first talk room, and to display at least a part of the first content in a second area of the display unit in which the user cannot input content;
transmitting, based on an input of a second content by the user into the first area, the second content and a third content related to the first content to the first user included in a second talk room including the user , by a communication unit of the terminal;
The terminal executes control by the control unit to display the first talk room including the first content on the display unit based on input by the user regarding the third content displayed in the second talk room. The program according to claim 1,
The terminal controls the control unit to display the first talk room in which the first content is displayed on the display unit based on input by the user regarding the third content. The program according to claim 1 or 2,
The terminal executes control by the control unit to display the first content associated with the second content in the first talk room displayed on the display unit based on input by the user regarding the third content. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The first content is transmitted by a terminal of the first user. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The second content is input by the user's operation on the terminal. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The terminal displays the first content and a group name indicating the first talk room on the display unit. The program according to claim 6,
Displaying the second content, the third content, and a user name of the first user on the display unit is executed by the terminal. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The third content includes at least a portion of the first content. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The third content includes all of the information included in the first content. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The third content is a content in which at least a portion of information of the first content is omitted. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The third content and the second content are displayed on the display unit as a fourth content in which the third content and the second content are combined into one set. The program according to claim 11,
The second content is displayed in an area of the display unit below the third content. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The first content is transmitted via a server;
The second content and the third content are transmitted via the server. 1. An information processing method for a terminal of a user who is included in a first talk room including a first user and a second user and is different from the first user and the second user, comprising:
a control unit of the terminal performs control to display a first area in which the user can input content on a display unit of the terminal based on an input by the user to a first content displayed in the first talk room, and to display at least a part of the first content in a second area of the display unit in which the user cannot input content;
transmitting, based on an input of a second content by the user into the first area, the second content and a third content related to the first content to the first user included in a second talk room including the user, by a communication unit of the terminal;
The method includes controlling the control unit to display the first talk room including the first content on the display unit based on input by the user regarding the third content displayed in the second talk room. A terminal of a user different from a first user and a second user, the terminal being included in a first talk room including the first user and a second user,
a control unit that performs control to display a first area on a display unit of the terminal in which the user can input content based on an input by the user to a first content displayed in the first talk room, and to display at least a part of the first content in a second area of the display unit in which the user cannot input content;
a communication unit that transmits, based on an input of second content by the user into the first area, the second content and a third content related to the first content to the first user included in a second talk room including the user;
The control unit controls the display of the first talk room including the first content on the display unit based on an input by the user regarding the third content displayed in the second talk room.

Images