JP7483966B1 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] Points or electronic money granted in exchange for completing a task can be accumulated as smoothly as possible in order to obtain a product or service, which is the initial goal. [Solution] The system includes a task receiving unit 112-1 that receives one or more tasks processed by a user U1 using a terminal device 20-1 from a terminal device 20-2 used by a user U2, an accumulation unit 117 that accumulates points or electronic money corresponding to a task each time the user U1 completes the task, and an allocation unit 120 that, when the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 becomes equal to or exceeds the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to obtain the product or service, awards the user U1 with the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 from the points or electronic money owned by the user U2. [Selected Figure] Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device.

For example, if a child helps out a parent, the parent may give the child pocket money. When a parent gives an allowance to a child, the parent may give the child points or electronic money instead of actual cash.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses technology that awards points or money to a child when the child performs well or behaves well, and that relates to a virtual account for managing the awarded points or money.

In the technology described in Patent Document 1, a child is given points or money after completing a task, such as a chore or homework. The child then uses the points or money to purchase, for example, a video game. In the technology described in Patent Document 1, a monetary value associated with completing a task is set at the time the task is set.

Specific Publication No. 2021-536044

However, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, if points are awarded to a child each time the child completes a task, there may be cases where the child uses the awarded points for a different product or service before reaching the number of points required to acquire the product or service that the child initially aimed for, making it difficult to achieve the initial goal.

The present invention aims to provide an information processing device that allows points or electronic money awarded in exchange for completing tasks to be accumulated as smoothly as possible in order to obtain the initial goal of a product or service.

An information processing device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a task receiving unit that receives one or more tasks to be processed by a first user using a first terminal device from a second terminal device used by a second user; an identifying unit that identifies a product or service to be acquired by the first user when the first user completes the one or more tasks; an accumulating unit that accumulates points or electronic money corresponding to a task each time the first user completes the task; and an allocating unit that, when the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulating unit is equal to or exceeds the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to acquire the product or service, awards the first user points equal to the number of points accumulated by the accumulating unit or electronic money equivalent to the amount of the points from the points or electronic money owned by the second user.

The present invention provides an information processing device that can accumulate points or electronic money awarded in exchange for completing a task as smoothly as possible in order to obtain the initial goal of a product or service.

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of an information processing system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server 10. 1 is a table showing an example of the configuration of a product database MDB. 1 is a table showing an example of the configuration of a task database TDB. 11 is a table showing an example of the configuration of a user database UDB. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a reception unit 112. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device 20. 13 is an example of a first display screen DI1. 13 is an example of a second display screen DI2. 13 is an example of a third display screen DI3. 13 is an example of a fourth display screen DI4. 13 is an example of a fifth display screen DI5. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the server 10.

1: Configuration of the embodiment Hereinafter, a configuration example of an information processing system 1 including a server 10 as an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG.

1-1: Overall Configuration Fig. 1 shows the overall configuration of an information processing system 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing system 1 includes a server 10, and terminal devices 20-1, 20-2, ..., 20-K, ..., 20-N. N is an integer equal to or greater than 1. K is an integer equal to or greater than 1 and less than N. In this embodiment, the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N have the same configuration. However, terminal devices with different configurations may be included.

The terminal device 20 is a terminal device used by a user. More specifically, the terminal device 20 is used to set a task to be processed by a child. Furthermore, the terminal device 20 is used for a guardian to give points corresponding to a task to a child when the child completes the task. Here, the "child" is an example of a "first user". Furthermore, the "guardian" is an example of a "second user". The first user is not limited to a child, and the second user is not limited to a guardian. For example, the first user may be a provider of some service, and the second user may be a beneficiary of the service. Note that the first user and the second user may share the same terminal device 20, or may use different terminal devices 20 from each other. In the following, for convenience of explanation, an example will be described in which a user U1 corresponding to the first user uses the terminal device 20-1, and a user U2 corresponding to the second user uses the terminal device 20-2. The terminal device 20-1 is an example of a "first terminal device". The terminal device 20-2 is an example of a "second terminal device". However, each of the first user and the second user may use any terminal device 20 among the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N. The terminal device 20 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, or a portable game device. However, the terminal device 20 is not limited to these devices.

The server 10 is a device that manages the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N. The server 10 and the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a communication network NET. The server 10 provides the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N with functions used by a first user and a second user. In order to execute the above functions, the server 10 and the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N transmit and receive various types of data to each other.

2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 10. The server 10 includes a processing device 11, a storage device 12, a communication device 13, a display device 14, and an input device 15. The elements of the server 10 are connected to each other using a single or multiple buses for communicating information.

The processing device 11 is a processor that controls the entire server 10. The processing device 11 is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing device 11 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and registers. Some or all of the functions of the processing device 11 may be realized using hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, and FPGA. The processing device 11 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

The storage device 12 is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 11. The storage device 12 also stores a number of programs including the control program PR1 executed by the processing device 11. The storage device 12 also stores a product database MDB, a task database TDB, and a user database UDB.

3 is a table showing an example of the configuration of the product database MDB. As shown in FIG. 3, the product database MDB stores, for each product or service, the category in which the product or service is included, the name of the product or service, and the number of points and the amount of electronic money required to obtain the product or service. For example, five product names, "bat," "glove," "baseball ball," "uniform," and "spikes," are linked to the category "baseball." For example, for a "bat," 3000 points are set as the number of points required, and 6000 yen is set as the amount of electronic money required. For example, in order to obtain a "bat," user U1 needs to pay 3000 points or 6000 yen worth of electronic money. The relationship between the "number of points" and the "amount of electronic money" in the task database TDB is based on the exchange rate between points and electronic money currently set in the information processing system 1. In addition, only one of the data of the "number of points" and the data of the "amount of electronic money" linked to each product may be stored in the product database MDB. Also, in the product database MDB shown in FIG. 3, the "categories" are one level, but they may be configured with multiple levels. Specifically, a large category may be configured to include multiple small categories. As an example, the small categories of "baseball" and "soccer" shown in FIG. 3 may be configured to be included in a large category of "sports."

FIG. 4 is a table showing an example of the configuration of the task database TDB. As shown in FIG. 4, the task database TDB stores data indicating each user's "user name", the "task" to be processed by each user, the "target deadline" for completing the task, a "completion flag" indicating whether the task has been completed, and the "number of points" and "amount of electronic money" to be given to each user when the processing of the task is completed. In FIG. 4, for example, user U1 is linked to three "tasks": "10 pages of math drills", "cleaning the room", and "winning the soccer tournament". In addition, in the data set in the first row of the task database TDB illustrated in FIG. 4, the "target deadline" is set to have user U1 complete the processing of the "task" "10 pages of math drills" by November 15, 2022. Note that the data of the "target deadline" does not need to be set. Furthermore, when the data of the "task" itself is stored in the task database TDB, the data of the "target deadline" associated with the "task" is not set, and the data of the "target deadline" may be set after the fact. In addition, the "completion flag" indicates that the task has already been completed with "1" and that the task has not been completed with "0". In the data set in the first row of the task database TDB illustrated in FIG. 4, the "completion flag" field stores "1", indicating that the user U1 has already completed the processing of the task "10 pages of arithmetic drill". Furthermore, in the data set, the "points" field stores data "200", and the "amount of electronic money" field stores data "400", indicating that the user U1 will be given 200 points or 400 yen of electronic money by completing the processing of the task "10 pages of arithmetic drill". The relationship between the "points" and the "amount of electronic money" in the task database TDB is based on the exchange rate between points and electronic money currently set in the information processing system 1. Also, only one of the "points" data and the "amount of electronic money" data associated with each task may be stored in the task database TDB. Note that information indicating the history of a task stored in the task database TDB is an example of "task history information."

The task database TDB may also include tasks to which no user name is assigned. In the example shown in FIG. 4, no user name is assigned to tasks such as "read 10 pages" or "jogging 1 km". As described below, the task receiving unit 112-1 receives data on tasks linked to user names from the terminal device 20-2 and stores the data in the task database TDB. Tasks to which no user name is assigned may, in contrast, be data that is initially stored in the storage device 12, or may be data that is entered by the administrator of the server 10.

Figure 5 is a table showing an example of the configuration of the user database UDB. As shown in Figure 5, the user database UDB stores data indicating the "user name", "gender", "age" and "place of residence" of each user. The data set in the first row of the user database UDB shown in Figure 5 includes data indicating that the "gender" of user U1, whose user name is "U1", is "male", his "age" is "10", and his "place of residence" is "Hokkaido". The data indicating the "user name", "gender", "age", and "place of residence" stored in the user database UDB are examples of "attribute information".

In FIG. 2, the communication device 13 is hardware as a transmitting/receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 13 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module. The communication device 13 may have a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 13 may also have a wireless communication interface. Examples of the connector and interface circuit for wired connection include products that comply with wired LAN, IEEE 1394, and USB. Examples of the wireless communication interface include products that comply with wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

The display device 14 is a device that displays images and text information. The display device 14 displays various images under the control of the processing device 11. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal display panel and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display panel are suitable for use as the display device 14.

The input device 15 accepts operations from the administrator of the server 10. For example, the input device 15 includes a keyboard, a touchpad, a touch panel, or a pointing device such as a mouse. Here, if the input device 15 includes a touch panel, it may also function as the display device 14.

The processing device 11 reads out and executes the control program PR1 from the storage device 12. As a result, the processing device 11 functions as a communication control unit 111, a reception unit 112, a proposal unit 113, a specification unit 114, a setting unit 115, an adjustment unit 116, an accumulation unit 117, a calculation unit 118, a notification unit 119, and an assignment unit 120.

The communication control unit 111 causes the communication device 13 to transmit and receive various data between the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N. For example, the communication control unit 111 causes the communication device 13 to receive various data input by users U1 to UN from the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N. Alternatively, the communication control unit 111 causes the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N to transmit various data stored in the storage device 12 to the communication device 13. As an example, the communication control unit 111 causes the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N to transmit product information stored in the product database MDB to the communication device 13. As another example, the communication control unit 111 causes the communication device 13 to receive various data to be stored in the task database TDB or the user database UDB from the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-N.

The reception unit 112 receives various data received from the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-2. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the reception unit 112. The reception unit 112 has a task reception unit 112-1, a completion information reception unit 112-2, an achievement information reception unit 112-3, a confirmation information reception unit 112-4, an adjustment amount reception unit 112-5, a type reception unit 112-6, and an authentication information reception unit 112-7.

The task receiving unit 112-1 receives data on one or more tasks to be processed by the user U1 from the terminal device 20-2 used by the user U2. For example, the user U2 inputs data on the content of the task itself, such as "10 pages of math drills" or "cleaning the room," as the task to be processed by the user U1, to the terminal device 20-2. Furthermore, the user U2 inputs data on the target deadline for the task, and data on the number of points and the amount of electronic money to be given to the user U1 when the processing of the task is completed. Note that input of the data on the target deadline for the task, and the number of points and the amount of electronic money is not essential. The data on the content of the task itself, the data on the target deadline for the task, and the data on the number of points and the amount of electronic money to be given to the user U1 when the processing of the task is completed are transmitted from the terminal device 20-2 to the server 10 together with a completion flag indicating that the task has not yet been completed. The task receiving unit 112-1 receives the data on the above tasks. Of the received data, the task receiving unit 112-1 stores data indicating the content of the task itself and data indicating the target deadline for the task in the task database TDB. If the user U1 inputs only the number of points out of the above number of points and the amount of electronic money, the task receiving unit 112-1 may calculate the amount of electronic money based on the conversion rate between the number of points and the amount of electronic money set in the information processing system 1. Alternatively, if the user U1 inputs only the amount of electronic money out of the above number of points and the amount of electronic money, the task receiving unit 112-1 may calculate the number of points based on the conversion rate between the number of points and the amount of electronic money set in the information processing system 1.

When user U1 completes the processing of the above task, the completion information receiving unit 112-2 receives completion information indicating the completion. For example, when user U1 as the first user completes the task, user U2 as the second user authenticates the completion of the task by clicking an icon indicating that the task has been completed on the terminal device 20-2. As a result of the authentication, completion information indicating that the task has been completed is transmitted from the terminal device 20-2 to the server 10. The completion information receiving unit 112-2 receives the completion information indicating that the task has been completed. It should be noted that user U1 as the first user, rather than user U2 as the second user, may click the icon indicating that the task has been completed on the terminal device 20-1. After receiving the completion information indicating that the task has been completed, the completion information receiving unit 112-2 updates the completion flag associated with the task stored in the task database TDB to "1".

The achievement information receiving unit 112-3 receives achievement information from the terminal device 20-1 indicating that the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 has reached or exceeded the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to acquire a product or service. As described below, the accumulation unit 117 accumulates points or electronic money corresponding to a task each time the user U1 processes the task. The achievement information receiving unit 112-3 receives the above achievement information according to the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117. Note that the achievement information receiving unit 112-3 may receive the achievement information from the accumulation unit 117 instead of the terminal device 20-1.

The achievement information accepted by the achievement information acceptance unit 112-3 is transmitted to the terminal device 20-2 by the communication device 13 under the control of the communication control unit 111. The user U2 checks the achievement information on the terminal device 20-2. After checking, when the user U2 touches, for example, a confirmation button indicating that he or she has confirmed the achievement information on the terminal device 20-2, confirmation information indicating that the above achievement information has been confirmed is transmitted from the terminal device 20-2 to the server 10.

The confirmation information receiving unit 112-4 receives confirmation information from the terminal device 20-2 indicating that the above achievement information has been confirmed.

The adjustment amount receiving unit 112-5 receives, from the terminal device 20-2, an adjustment amount for adjusting the number of points or the amount of electronic money set by the setting unit 115 according to the performance of the processing of one task by the user U1. As described later, the setting unit 115 sets the number of points or the amount of electronic money to be given to the user U1 when the user U1 processes one task as points or electronic money for the user U1 to obtain a product or service. Then, the user U1 processes one task. The user U2 checks the performance of the processing of the task by the user U1. Furthermore, the user U2 inputs an adjustment amount for adjusting the number of points or the amount of electronic money to the terminal device 20-2 according to the performance of the processing of the task that the user U2 has checked. For example, referring to FIG. 4, it is assumed that the user U1 processed a task called "10 pages of math drills" and the date on which the user U1 completed the task was much earlier than the target deadline of November 15, 2022. In this case, 200 points were initially assigned to the task, but user U2 inputs an adjustment amount of +50 points to terminal device 20-2 to give user U1, for example, 250 points. When user U2 inputs the adjustment amount on terminal device 20-2, the adjustment amount is transmitted from terminal device 20-2 to server 10. The adjustment amount receiving unit 112-5 receives the adjustment amount from terminal device 20-2.

In FIG. 6, the type reception unit 112-6 receives the type of a task. For example, when the task reception unit 112-1 receives data related to one or more tasks processed by the user U1 from the terminal device 20-2, the type reception unit 112-6 receives the type of the task from the terminal device 20-2 at the same time as receiving the data related to the task.

Here, the "task type" may be, for example, a type related to the importance of the task. In this case, the task is classified, for example, into a task of high importance and a task of low importance. For example, referring to FIG. 4, if user U2 expects user U1 to study harder, among the tasks assigned to user U1, the task "10 pages of math drills" is classified as a task of high importance, and the tasks "cleaning the room" and "winning the soccer tournament" are classified as tasks of low importance. When user U2 inputs data indicating the content of the task itself to be processed by user U1 to terminal device 20-2, he/she also inputs data indicating the importance of the task.

Alternatively, the "task type" may be, for example, a type related to the everyday nature of the task. In this case, the task is classified, for example, into an everyday task and an unusual task. For example, referring to FIG. 4, among the tasks assigned to user U1, the task "10 pages of math drills" and the task "cleaning the room" are classified as everyday tasks, and the task "winning the soccer tournament" is classified as an unusual task. When user U2 inputs data indicating the content of the task itself to be processed by user U1 to terminal device 20-2, the user also inputs data indicating the everyday nature of the task.

Data indicating the type of task, such as data indicating the importance of the task and data indicating the everyday nature of the task, is transmitted from the terminal device 20-2 to the server 10. The task receiving unit 112-1 receives the data related to the task.

In FIG. 6, when the type of task accepted by the type accepting unit 112-6 indicates that it is a non-routine task, the authentication information accepting unit 112-7 accepts authentication information indicating the accumulation of the points or electronic money from the terminal device 20-2 at a point in time before the accumulation unit 117 accumulates the points or electronic money corresponding to the task. When the type of task accepted by the type accepting unit 112-6 indicates that it is a non-routine task, the accumulation unit 117 accumulates the points or electronic money on the condition that the authentication information accepting unit 112-7 has accepted the authentication information.

In FIG. 2, the suggestion unit 113 suggests a task to be processed by user U1 as a first user, based on attribute information indicating the attributes of multiple users U, and task history information indicating the history of tasks that the multiple users U have processed to date. As described above, the attribute information is information stored in the user database UDB. Also, the task history information is information stored in the task database TDB. Data indicating the task proposed by the suggestion unit 113 is transmitted to the terminal device 20-2 used by user U2 as a second user.

For example, the suggestion unit 113 extracts users U of the same age as user U1 or users U who live in the same place as user U1 by referring to the user database UDB. Furthermore, the suggestion unit 113 extracts at least one task linked to user U by referring to the task database TDB. The suggestion unit 113 proposes to user U2 one task included in the at least one extracted task. When referring to the task database TDB, the suggestion unit 113 may extract the at least one task from among tasks that have already been completed. Alternatively, the suggestion unit 113 may extract the at least one task from the tasks stored in the task database TDB after excluding any tasks that are incomplete even though the target deadline has passed as of the current date and time.

As a result, for example, when setting a task to be processed by user U1 as a child, user U2 as a guardian can refer to the suggestions made by the suggestion unit 113.

The identification unit 114 identifies the goods or services that user U1 will obtain in exchange for user U1 completing one or more tasks. As an example, when user U2 as a guardian inputs data related to one or more tasks to be completed by user U1 as a child to terminal device 20-2, the user U2 also inputs the goods or services that will be available to user U1 along with the input. Data indicating the goods or services is transmitted to server 10. The identification unit 114 identifies the goods or services that will be available to user U1 based on the data. Alternatively, user U2 as a guardian may input data related to the tasks to be completed by user U1 as a child to terminal device 20-2, and then user U1 as a child may input the goods or services that will be available to terminal device 20-1.

The setting unit 115 sets the number of points or the amount of electronic money to be given to the user U1 when the user U1 completes one task, as points or electronic money for the user U1 to obtain the above-mentioned product or service.

The setting unit 115 sets the number of points or the amount of electronic money to be granted to the user U1, for example, based on data indicating the number of points or the amount of electronic money received by the task receiving unit 112-1.

The setting unit 115 may set the number of points or the amount of electronic money to be granted to the user U1 according to the type accepted by the type acceptance unit 112-6. Specifically, when the type of task accepted by the type acceptance unit 112-6 is a type related to the importance of the task, the setting unit 115 may switch between granting points or granting electronic money to the user U1 according to the importance of the task. For example, the setting unit 115 may set that electronic money is granted to the user U1 for a task with high importance, and points are granted to the user U1 for a task with low importance.

The setting unit 115 stores data indicating the number of points corresponding to one task in a "Number of points" column corresponding to the task in the task database TDB. The setting unit 115 also stores data indicating the amount of electronic money corresponding to one task in a "Amount of electronic money" column corresponding to the task in the task database TDB. The setting unit 115 may store both the data indicating the number of points and the data indicating the amount of electronic money in the task database TDB, or may store only one of them in the task database TDB.

The adjustment unit 116 adjusts the number of points or the amount of electronic money set by the setting unit 115 by the adjustment amount received by the adjustment amount receiving unit 112-5. As described above, after user U2 checks the performance of the task processing by user U1, user U2 inputs an adjustment amount for adjusting the number of points or the amount of electronic money to terminal device 20-2 according to the performance. The adjustment amount receiving unit 112-5 receives the adjustment amount. The adjustment unit 116 adjusts the number of points or the amount of electronic money by the adjustment amount.

The accumulation unit 117 accumulates points or electronic money corresponding to a task each time user U1 processes that task. More specifically, when user U1 processes a task and the completion information receiving unit 112-2 receives completion information indicating that the processing of the task has been completed, the accumulation unit 117 accumulates points or electronic money corresponding to the task. For example, referring to the task database TDB shown in FIG. 4, when user U1 processes the task "10 pages of math drill", the accumulation unit 117 accumulates 200 points, which is the number of points corresponding to the task.

When the adjustment unit 116 adjusts the number of points or the amount of electronic money set by the setting unit 115, the accumulation unit 117 accumulates the number of points or the amount of electronic money after adjustment by the adjustment unit 116.

Furthermore, as described above, when the type accepted by the type acceptance unit 112-6 is a non-routine task, the accumulation unit 117 may accumulate points or electronic money on the condition that the authentication information acceptance unit 112-7 accepts the above authentication information. For example, referring to the task database TDB shown in FIG. 4, when the user U1 completes a non-routine task such as "winning a soccer tournament," the accumulation unit 117 may accumulate points or electronic money on the condition that the authentication information acceptance unit 112-7 accepts the above authentication information.

The calculation unit 118 calculates the difference between the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to acquire a product or service and the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117. For example, referring to the product database MDB shown in FIG. 3, if the product or service identified by the identification unit 114 is a "bat", the calculation unit 118 calculates the difference between 3000 points, which is the number of points required to acquire a "bat", and the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 up to the present time. The calculation unit 118 also calculates the difference between 6000 yen, which is the amount of electronic money required to acquire a "bat", and the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 up to the present time.

The notification unit 119 pushes the difference calculated by the calculation unit 118 to the terminal device 20-1. The display device 24, described later, provided in the terminal device 20-1 displays the difference. The notification unit 119 may also push the task corresponding to the difference to the terminal device 20-1. For example, referring to the task database TDB shown in FIG. 4, if the difference calculated by the calculation unit 118 is 200 points, the notification unit 119 may push the task "Reading 10 pages", which is not assigned to anyone, to the terminal device 20-1 as a task worth 200 points. Alternatively, the notification unit 119 may push the task "Math drill 10 pages", which is already assigned to the user U1, to the terminal device 20-1 as an additional task worth 200 points. Alternatively, the notification unit 119 may send a push notification to the terminal device 20-1 of the task "Science Drill Page 20" that is assigned to another user UN as a task worth 250 points.

When the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 is equal to or greater than the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to obtain a product or service, the granting unit 120 grants to the user U1 the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 from the points or electronic money owned by the user U2. For example, referring to the product database MDB shown in FIG. 3, when the product or service identified by the identification unit 114 is "bat", when the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 is equal to or greater than 3000 points, the granting unit 120 grants to the user U1 the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit 117. Alternatively, in this case, when the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 is equal to or greater than 6000 yen, the granting unit 120 may grant to the user U1 the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117. Alternatively, in this case, when the sum of the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 and the number of points obtained by converting the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 at the current conversion rate becomes 3,000 points or more, the granting unit 120 may grant to user U1 the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 or electronic money equivalent to the amount of electronic money.

The granting unit 120 may grant the above points or electronic money to the user U1 when the confirmation information receiving unit 112-4 receives the above confirmation information from the terminal device 20-2 after the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 becomes equal to or exceeds the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to acquire the product or service.

7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 includes a processing device 21, a storage device 22, a communication device 23, a display device 24, and an input device 25. The elements of the terminal device 20 are connected to each other using a single or multiple buses for communicating information.

The processing device 21 is a processor that controls the entire terminal device 20. The processing device 21 is configured, for example, using a single or multiple chips. The processing device 21 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and registers. Some or all of the functions of the processing device 21 may be realized using hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, and FPGA. The processing device 21 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

The storage device 22 is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 21. The storage device 22 also stores multiple programs, including the control program PR2, which is executed by the processing device 21.

The communication device 23 is hardware that serves as a transmitting/receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 23 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module. The communication device 23 may have a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 23 may also have a wireless communication interface. Examples of the connector and interface circuit for wired connection include products that comply with wired LAN, IEEE 1394, and USB. Examples of the wireless communication interface include products that comply with wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

The display device 24 is a device that displays images and text information. The display device 24 displays various images under the control of the processing device 21. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal display panel and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display panel are suitably used as the display device 24.

The input device 25 accepts operations from the user U. For example, the input device 25 includes a keyboard, a touchpad, a touch panel, or a pointing device such as a mouse. Here, if the input device 25 includes a touch panel, it may also function as the display device 24.

The processing device 21 reads out and executes the control program PR2 from the storage device 22. As a result, the processing device 21 functions as a communication control unit 211 and a display control unit 212.

The communication control unit 211 causes the communication device 23 to transmit and receive various data and information to and from the server 10. The communication control unit 211 causes the communication device 23 to transmit to the server 10, for example, data related to the task processed by the user U1, data indicating the product or service that the user U1 can obtain, completion information indicating that the user U1 has completed the task, achievement information indicating that the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 is equal to or greater than the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to obtain the product or service, confirmation information indicating that the user U2 has confirmed the achievement information, data indicating the adjustment amount for adjusting the number of points or the amount of electronic money, data indicating the type of task, and authentication information indicating authentication of the accumulation of points or electronic money. The communication control unit 211 also causes the communication device 23 to receive, for example, data stored in the product database MDB, data stored in the task database TDB, data stored in the user database UDB, and data related to the task proposed by the server 10 from the server 10.

The display control unit 212 controls the display of data on the display device 24. The display control unit 212 causes the display device 24 to display, for example, data input by the user U using the input device 25 and data received from the server 10.

Figures 8A to 8E are examples of display screens that the display control unit 212 causes the display device 24 to display. Figure 8A shows an example of a first display screen DI1. Figure 8B shows an example of a second display screen DI2. Figure 8C shows an example of a third display screen DI3. Figure 8D shows an example of a fourth display screen DI4. Figure 8E shows an example of a fifth display screen DI5.

The first display screen DI1 shown in FIG. 8A and the second display screen DI2 shown in FIG. 8B are examples of screens for the user U2 as a parent to input data related to a task. The user U2 first selects a task category on the first display screen DI1. In the example shown in FIG. 8A, the first display screen DI1 includes a first button SB1 indicating help for the parent, a second button SB2 indicating the child will try something that has not been done before, and a third button SB3 indicating the child will study. The first display screen DI1 further includes a fourth button SB4 for returning to the top screen of the application according to this embodiment. The user U2 as a parent clicks either the first button SB1, the second button SB2, or the third button SB3, which corresponds to the category of the task to be performed by the user U1 as a child.

The second display screen DI2 illustrated in FIG. 8B is an example of a screen displayed when the user U2 clicks the first button SB1 on the first display screen DI1. The second display screen DI2 includes a fifth button SB5 indicating a task of folding laundry, a sixth button SB6 indicating a task of walking a dog, and a sixth button SB6 indicating a task of cleaning the bath, as tasks related to helping children. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8B, the number of points corresponding to each task is displayed together with each task. Furthermore, the second display screen DI2 includes an eighth button SB8 for registering a task associated with the clicked fifth button SB5 to seventh button SB7 after any of the fifth button SB5 to seventh button SB7 is clicked, and a ninth button SB9 for returning to the top screen of the application according to this embodiment. For example, when registering a task of folding laundry, the user U2 as a guardian first clicks the fifth button SB5 and then clicks the eighth button SB8. As a result, the communication control unit 211 causes the server 10 to transmit data regarding the task being processed by the user U1 as a child to the communication device 23. The task receiving unit 112-1 provided in the server 10 receives data regarding the task being processed by the user U1.

The third display screen DI3 illustrated in FIG. 8C is an example of a screen displayed when the user U1 specifies a product or service that will be available to the user U1 when the user U1 completes the processing of the task. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8C, the third display screen DI3 includes a first icon SI1 to a ninth icon SI9 indicating each product or service. Specifically, the first icon SI1 indicates a baseball bat. The second icon SI2 indicates a baseball ball. The third icon SI3 indicates a baseball glove. The fourth icon SI4 indicates a soccer ball. The fifth icon SI5 indicates soccer cleats. The sixth icon SI6 indicates a soccer uniform. The seventh icon SI7 indicates a ballpoint pen. The eighth icon SI8 indicates a notebook. The ninth icon SI9 indicates an eraser. In the third display screen DI3, the first icon SI1 to the ninth icon SI9 are displayed classified according to the category to which each product or service belongs. The third display screen DI3 also includes a tenth button SB10 for registering a product or service associated with the first icon SI1 to the ninth icon SI9 that was clicked after any of the first icon SI1 to the ninth icon SI9 was clicked, and an eleventh button SB11 for returning to the top screen of the application according to this embodiment. When user U2 wants to register a baseball bat as a product or service that will be available when the task is completed, he/she first clicks the first icon SI1 and then clicks the tenth button SB10. As a result, the communication control unit 211 causes the server 10 to transmit data indicating a baseball bat to the communication device 23 as data related to the product or service that will be available when user U1 completes the task.

The fourth display screen DI4 illustrated in FIG. 8D is an example of a screen showing a list of tasks to be processed by user U1. In the example shown in FIG. 8D, the fourth display screen DI4 includes a first area TA1 showing the contents of the first task, and a second area TA2 showing the contents of the second task. The first area TA1 includes a first completion button CB1 that user U2 clicks when user U1 completes the first task. The second area TA2 includes a second completion button CB2 that user U2 clicks when user U1 completes the first task. When user U2 clicks, for example, the first completion button CB1, the communication control unit 211 causes the server 10 to transmit completion information to the communication device 23.

The fifth display screen DI5 illustrated in FIG. 8E is an example of a screen that shows how much of the points or amount of electronic money required for user U1 to obtain a product or service has been accumulated. In the example shown in FIG. 8E, the fifth display screen DI5 includes a first icon SI1 that indicates a baseball bat as the product that user U1 is attempting to obtain. The fifth display screen DI5 also includes a graph BG. The graph BG is a graph that shows how much of the 3,000 points required to obtain the baseball bat has been accumulated to date.

In the above explanation, it is assumed that the screen examples shown in Figures 8A to 8E are displayed on the terminal device 20-2 used by user U2 and operated by user U2. However, the screen examples may also be displayed on the terminal device 20-1 used by user U1 and operated by user U1.

2: Operation of the embodiment Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the server 10 as an information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the example of operation of the server 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 9.

In step S1, the processing device 11 functions as a task receiving unit 112-1. The processing device 11 receives one or more tasks to be processed by a user U1 using a terminal device 20-1 from a terminal device 20-2 used by a user U2.

In step S2, the processing device 11 functions as the identification unit 114. The processing device 11 identifies the product or service that the user U1 will acquire when the user U1 completes one or more tasks.

In step S3, the processing device 11 functions as an accumulation unit 117. Each time the user U1 completes a task, the processing device 11 accumulates points or electronic money corresponding to the task.

In step S4, if the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the processing device 11 as the accumulation unit 117 is equal to or greater than the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to acquire the product or service identified in step S2 (YES in step S4), the processing device 11 executes the process of step S5. If the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the processing device 11 as the accumulation unit 117 is not equal to or greater than the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to acquire the product or service identified in step S2 (NO in step S4), the processing device 11 executes the process of step S3.

In step S5, the processing device 11 functions as the granting unit 120. The processing device 11 grants to the user U1 an amount of points or electronic money equal to the number of points accumulated by the processing device 11 as the accumulation unit 117 from the points or electronic money owned by the user U2.

3: Effects of the embodiment According to the above description, the server 10 as an information processing device includes a task receiving unit 112-1, a specifying unit 114, an accumulation unit 117, and an assignment unit 120. The task receiving unit 112-1 receives one or more tasks processed by a user U1 as a first user who uses a terminal device 20-1 as a first terminal device from a terminal device 20-2 as a second terminal device used by a user U2 as a second user. The specifying unit 114 specifies a product or service that the user U1 will obtain when the user U1 completes one or more tasks. The accumulation unit 117 accumulates points or electronic money corresponding to a task each time the user U1 completes a task. When the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 becomes equal to or exceeds the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to acquire the above-mentioned product or service, the granting unit 120 grants to user U1 the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 or the amount of electronic money from the points or electronic money owned by user U2.

Since the server 10 has the above configuration, the points or electronic money granted in exchange for completing a task can be accumulated as smoothly as possible in order to obtain the product or service that was the initial goal. As a result, user U1 can smoothly use the accumulated points or electronic money to obtain the product or service that was the initial goal. Furthermore, only when the amount of points or electronic money necessary to obtain the product or service that was the initial goal has been accumulated, the points or electronic money are granted in a lump sum from user U2 to user U1, so the server 10 can reduce the communication load and other loads.

Furthermore, according to the above description, the server 10 further includes a calculation unit 118 and a notification unit 119. The calculation unit 118 calculates the difference between the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to acquire the above-mentioned product or service and the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117. The notification unit 119 notifies the difference by push to the terminal device 20-1, which is the first terminal device.

The server 10 has the above configuration, and can therefore notify the user U1 of the difference between the target number of points or the amount of electronic money and the currently accumulated number of points or the amount of electronic money. By recognizing this difference, the user U1 can be more motivated to complete the task quickly in order to obtain the targeted product or service.

Furthermore, according to the above description, in the server 10, the notification unit 119 pushes the task corresponding to the above difference to the terminal device 20-1, which is the first terminal device.

Since the server 10 has the above configuration, it can notify the user U1 of a task that corresponds to the difference between the target number of points or the amount of electronic money and the currently accumulated number of points or the amount of electronic money. As a result, the user U1 can easily understand which specific task he or she needs to accomplish in order to obtain the targeted product or service.

According to the above description, the server 10 further includes an achievement information receiving unit 112-3, a communication control unit 111, and a confirmation information receiving unit 112-4. The achievement information receiving unit 112-3 receives achievement information from the terminal device 20-1 as the first terminal device, indicating that the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 is equal to or greater than the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to obtain the above-mentioned product or service. The communication control unit 111 causes the communication device 13 to transmit the achievement information to the terminal device 20-2 as the second terminal device. The confirmation information receiving unit 112-4 receives confirmation information from the terminal device 20-2 indicating that the achievement information has been confirmed. When the confirmation information receiving unit 112-4 receives the above-mentioned confirmation information, the granting unit 120 grants to the user U1 the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 or the amount of electronic money from the points or electronic money owned by the user U2.

Since the server 10 has the above configuration, when user U2, for example as a guardian, confirms that user U1, for example as a child, has completed a task equivalent to a target number of points or amount of electronic money, user U2 grants points or electronic money to user U1.

Furthermore, according to the above description, the server 10 further includes a suggestion unit 113. The suggestion unit 113 suggests tasks to be processed by the user U1 as the first user, based on attribute information indicating the attributes of the multiple users U and task history information indicating the history of tasks that the multiple users U have completed to date.

Since the server 10 has the above configuration, when user U2 sets what tasks user U1 will process, user U2 can refer to suggestions made by the server 10 based on the attributes and task history of user U.

4: Modifications The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Specific modifications are exemplified below. Two or more of the following examples may be combined.

4-1: Modification 1
In the above embodiment, the tasks processed by the user U1 as a child include, as an example, a task that uses learning materials, such as "10 pages of arithmetic drills." The learning materials may be materials distributed from the server 10 to the terminal device 20-1. In this case, at the point in time when the user U1 has completed solving a range of problems set in advance in the learning materials distributed from the server 10, the completion information receiving unit 112-2 may receive, from the terminal device 20-1, completion information indicating the completion of processing of the task.

4-2: Modification 2
In the above embodiment, the task type accepted by the type accepting unit 112-6 may be stored in the task database TDB.

4-3: Modification 3
In the above embodiment, when the granting unit 120 attempts to grant to user U1 points equivalent to the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 from the points owned by user U2, if the points owned by user U1 are insufficient for the points to be granted, the granting unit 120 may grant the shortfall in electronic money corresponding to the points. Also, when the granting unit 120 attempts to grant to user U1 electronic money equivalent to the amount accumulated by the accumulation unit 117 from the electronic money owned by user U2, if the amount of electronic money owned by user U1 is insufficient for the amount of electronic money to be granted, the granting unit 120 may grant the shortfall in points corresponding to the electronic money.

5: Others (1) In the above-described embodiment, ROM and RAM are given as examples of storage device 12 and storage device 22, but the storage device may be a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM), a register, a removable disk, a hard disk, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, a database, a server, or any other suitable storage medium.

(2) In the above-described embodiments, the information, signals, etc. described may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the input and output information, etc. may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information, etc. may be overwritten, updated, or added to. The output information, etc. may be deleted. The input information, etc. may be transmitted to another device.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the determination may be made based on a value (0 or 1) represented using one bit, a Boolean value (true or false), or a comparison of numerical values (e.g., a comparison with a predetermined value).

(5) The order of the process steps, sequences, flow charts, etc. illustrated in the above-described embodiments may be changed as long as it is not inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order and are not limited to the particular order presented.

(6) Each function illustrated in Figures 1 to 9 is realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the method of realizing each functional block. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and connected directly or indirectly (e.g., using wires, wirelessly, etc.). A functional block may be realized by combining software with the one device or the multiple devices.

(7) The programs exemplified in the above-described embodiments should be broadly construed to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or by other names.

Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and/or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and/or wireless technologies are included within the definition of a transmission medium.

(8) In each of the above embodiments, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

(9) The information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information.

(10) In the above-described embodiment, the server 10 and the terminal device 20 may be a mobile station (MS). A mobile station may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable term. In this disclosure, the terms "mobile station", "user terminal", "user equipment (UE)", "terminal", etc. may be used interchangeably.

(11) In the above-mentioned embodiments, the terms "connected" and "coupled" or any variation thereof refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be a physical coupling or connection, a logical coupling or connection, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read with "access". As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and light (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

(12) In the above embodiments, the term "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless otherwise specified. In other words, the term "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

(13) The terms "determining" and "determining" as used in this disclosure may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, search, inquiry (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), and considering ascertaining as "judging" or "determining". Also, "determining" and "determining" may include considering receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, and accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory) as "judging" or "determining". Additionally, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc., to have been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering some action to have been "judged" or "decided." Additionally, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

(14) In the above embodiments, when the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, the term "or" as used in this disclosure is not intended to be an exclusive or.

(15) In this disclosure, where articles have been added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are plural.

(16) In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." In addition, the term may mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combined" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

(17) Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the execution. In addition, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is the case") is not limited to being an explicit notification, but may be performed implicitly (e.g., not notifying the specific information).

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended as an illustrative example and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

1...information processing system, 10...server, 11...processing device, 12...storage device, 13...communication device, 14...display device, 15...input device, 20...terminal device, 21...processing device, 22...storage device, 23...communication device, 24...display device, 25...input device, 111...communication control unit, 112...reception unit, 112-1...task reception unit, 112-2...completion information reception unit, 112-3...achievement information reception unit, 112-4...confirmation information reception unit, 112-5...adjustment amount reception unit, 112-6...type reception unit, 112-7...authentication information reception unit, 113...proposal unit, 114...identification unit, 115...setting unit, 116...adjustment unit, 117...accumulation unit, 118...calculation unit, 119...notification unit, 120...assignment unit, 211...communication control unit, 212...display control unit, BG... Rough, CB1...first completed button, CB2...second completed button, DI1...first display screen, DI2...second display screen, DI3...third display screen, DI4...fourth display screen, DI5...fifth display screen, PR1...control program, PR2...control program, SB1...first button, SB2...second button, SB3...third button, SB4...fourth button, SB5...fifth button, SB6...sixth button, SB7...seventh button, SB8...eighth button, SB9...ninth button, SI1...first icon, SI2...second icon, SI3...third icon, SI4...fourth icon, SI5...fifth icon, SI6...sixth icon, SI7...seventh icon, SI8...eighth icon, SI9...ninth icon, U, U1, U2...user

Claims (5)

a task receiving unit that receives one or more tasks to be processed by a first user who uses a first terminal device from a second terminal device used by a second user;
an identification unit that identifies a product or service to be acquired by the first user when the first user completes the one or more tasks;
an accumulation unit that accumulates points or electronic money corresponding to a task each time the first user completes the task;
an awarding unit that, when the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit becomes equal to or greater than the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to acquire the product or service, awards to the first user an amount of points equal to the number of points accumulated by the accumulation unit from the points or electronic money owned by a second user. a calculation unit that calculates a difference between the number of points or the amount of electronic money necessary to acquire the product or service and the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit;
a notification unit that notifies the first terminal device of the difference by push notification;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the notification unit pushes a notification of the task corresponding to the difference to the first terminal device. an achievement information receiving unit that receives achievement information indicating that the number of points or the amount of electronic money accumulated by the accumulation unit has reached or exceeded the number of points or the amount of electronic money required to acquire the product or service from the first terminal device;
a communication control unit that causes the second terminal device to transmit the achievement information to a communication device;
a confirmation information receiving unit that receives, from the second terminal device, confirmation information indicating that the achievement information has been confirmed;
Further comprising:
When the confirmation information receiving unit receives the confirmation information, the granting unit grants to the first user points or electronic money equivalent to the number of points accumulated by the accumulating unit from the points or electronic money owned by the second user.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a suggestion unit that suggests a task to be processed by the first user to the second user based on attribute information indicating attributes of a plurality of users and task history information indicating a history of tasks that have been completed by the plurality of users .

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