JP7842365B2 - Programs, information processing devices, and systems - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a program, an information processing device, and a system.

In recent years, applications are generally downloaded from servers to devices such as smartphones via networks like the internet or intranets. For example, according to the website shown in Non-Patent Document 1, users can download various applications and install them on their devices.

"App Store", [Searched on April 10, 2019, Internet <URL: https://www.apple.com/jp/ios/app-store/>]

However, because modern games and other applications have large data sizes, downloading all the content that makes up an application takes a considerable amount of time. This waiting time can cause psychological stress for users and may even lead them to hesitate to install the application altogether.

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a program, information processing device, and system that reduce user waiting time.

According to the present invention, a program for acquiring an application containing multiple contents is provided, wherein a computer configured to acquire the multiple contents from a server via a network functions as a display unit, an input unit, and an acquisition unit. The display unit displays images included in already acquired contents that have been acquired while the acquisition of the multiple contents is in progress. The input unit receives input commands to transition the display from the currently displayed image to a desired image. If the desired image corresponding to the command has not yet been acquired, the acquisition unit prioritizes acquiring unacquired content containing the desired image.

According to the program of the present invention, user waiting time can be reduced.

A functional block diagram showing the system's configuration overview. [Figure 2A] Block diagram showing the hardware configuration overview of the information processing device, [Figure 2B] Functional block diagram showing the functions of the control unit. An activity diagram illustrating the parallel acquisition function implemented in an information processing system. This diagram illustrates how the parallel acquisition function is executed while the tutorial screen is being displayed. This diagram illustrates how the parallel acquisition function is executed while the selection screen is displayed. An overview diagram of the content list showing the priority of content retrieval. An activity diagram showing the priority of content retrieval. A diagram showing the content list when unobtained content is selected. Figure 8 shows a diagram illustrating the content list after the replacement function has been executed. [Figure 10A] [Figure 10B] Diagrams showing another example of the case shown in Figure 9. A diagram showing the content list when new content is added to the server. Figure 11 shows a diagram illustrating the content list after the replacement function has been executed.

The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The various features shown in the embodiments below are interchangeable. In particular, in this specification, "part" may include, for example, hardware resources implemented by a broad-sense circuit and the software information processing that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. Furthermore, in this embodiment, various types of information (program PG, various contents, etc.) are handled, and this information is represented by high and low signal values as a set of binary bits composed of 0s and 1s, and communication and calculations can be performed on a broad-sense circuit.

Furthermore, a circuit in a broad sense refers to a circuit realized by combining at least an appropriate combination of circuits, circuits, processors, and memory. That is, it includes application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (e.g., simple programmable logic devices (SPLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), etc.).

1. Overall Configuration Section 1 will sequentially describe the components included in this embodiment.

1.1 System 1
Figure 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration overview of System 1 according to this embodiment. System 1 comprises a server 2 and an information processing device 3. In this embodiment, the server 2 and the information processing device 3 are connected via a network N, such as the Internet. Such a connection may be wired or wireless.

1.2 Server 2
Server 2 stores an application AP containing multiple content items. It also stores a program PG for obtaining (installing) the application AP. The program PG causes a computer (including smartphones, tablet devices, etc.) configured to obtain (download) multiple content items from Server 2 via the network N to function as an information processing device 3. The program PG may be implemented as part of the application AP or as a separate installer. The type of application AP is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, a game will be used as an example.

1.3 Information Processing Device 3
The information processing device 3 is implemented using a computer such as a smartphone or tablet terminal and the program PG described above. Alternatively, the information processing device 3 may be implemented by a computer user U obtaining the program PG from the server 2 via the network N (download), or by the program PG being pre-installed on the computer (pre-installation).

Figure 2A shows an overview of the configuration of the information processing device 3, and Figure 2B is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the control unit 33. The information processing device 3 comprises a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, a display unit 34, and an input unit 35. These components are electrically connected within the information processing device 3 via a communication bus 30. Each component will be further described below.

<Communications Section 31>
The communication unit 31 preferably uses wired communication methods such as USB, IEEE 1394, Thunderbolt, and wired LAN network communication, but may also include wireless LAN network communication, mobile communication such as LTE/3G, and Bluetooth® communication as needed. These are just examples, and a dedicated communication standard may be adopted. In other words, it is more preferable to implement it as a collection of these multiple communication methods.

In particular, the information processing device 3 is configured to communicate with the server 2 via the network N, as shown in Figure 1, thanks to the communication unit 31. For example, the communication unit 31 receives each content item included in the application AP stored in the server 2 via the network N.

<Storage unit 32>
The memory unit 32 is a volatile or non-volatile storage medium that stores various types of information. This can be implemented as, for example, a storage device such as a solid-state drive (SSD), or as memory such as random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily necessary information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to program calculations. A combination of these may also be used.

In particular, the memory unit 32 stores the program PG for acquiring the application AP as information. It also stores a content list CL, which defines the acquisition order of each unacquired content (unacquired content) when acquiring the application AP. Furthermore, it can store information about content that has already been acquired (previously acquired content).

<Control Unit 33>
The control unit 33 performs processing and control of the overall operation related to the information processing device 3. The control unit 33 is implemented, for example, as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) (not shown). The control unit 33 realizes various functions related to the information processing device 3 by reading predetermined programs (including program PG) stored in the storage unit 32. Specifically, the control unit 33 acquires content such as tutorials in advance, and when the acquisition of said content is completed, it displays the screen (image) of the acquired content that has been acquired during application AP acquisition on the display unit 34. In addition, the control unit 33 has a parallel acquisition function that acquires other unacquired content in parallel while displaying acquired content such as tutorials (see Figures 3 to 5), and a swapping function that rearranges the acquisition order in the content list CL stored in the storage unit 32 when the input unit 35, described later, receives input of a command to transition the display from the screen of the currently displayed acquired content to the screen of the desired content (see Figures 7 to 9). These functions will be described in more detail in Section 2.

In other words, information processing performed by software (stored in the memory unit 32) is concretely realized by hardware (the control unit 33), and can be executed as the acquisition unit 331 and the replacement unit 332. Although Figure 2A shows a single control unit 33, in reality, it is not limited to this, and multiple control units 33 may be used for each function. A combination of these may also be used. The acquisition unit 331 and the replacement unit 332 will be described in more detail below.

[Acquisition unit 331]
The acquisition unit 331 is a system where information processing by software (stored in the storage unit 32) is concretely implemented by hardware (control unit 33). The acquisition unit 331 acquires each content of the application AP stored in the server 2 via the communication unit 31 and the network N. It should be noted that the acquisition unit 331 acquires other unacquired content in parallel even when the display unit 34 (described later) is displaying at least one of the already acquired contents (such as a tutorial) (parallel acquisition function). Furthermore, the acquisition unit 331 sequentially acquires unacquired content based on the acquisition order in the content list CL stored in the storage unit 32.

[Replacement section 332]
The swapping unit 332 is a system in which information processing by software (stored in the memory unit 32) is concretely implemented by hardware (control unit 33). When the input unit 35, described later, receives an input command to transition the display from the currently displayed acquired content to the desired content, the swapping unit 332 swaps the acquisition order in the content list CL stored in the memory unit 32.

<Display section 34>
The display unit 34 may be included in the housing of the information processing device 3, for example, or it may be an external component. The display unit 34 displays a graphical user interface (GUI) screen that can be operated by the user U. This is preferably implemented by using different display devices such as a CRT display, liquid crystal display, organic EL display, and plasma display, depending on the type of information processing device 3. The display device can selectively display the GUI screen in response to a predetermined control signal from the control unit 33. To elaborate on the GUI, specific interfaces such as input forms and radio buttons may be displayed.

The display unit 34 displays images included in already acquired content while the acquisition unit 331 is acquiring unacquired content (parallel acquisition function). For example, as shown in Figure 4, the display unit 34 displays a tutorial screen (image), which is content for teaching user U how to operate the application AP. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the display unit 34 displays a selection screen for selecting content included in the application AP (in this case, game elements α to γ). In particular, by displaying an image of the meter 34d, the user U can understand what percentage of the total content capacity included in the application AP has been acquired. For example, Figure 4 shows that 19% of the capacity has been acquired, and Figure 5 shows that 35% of the capacity has been acquired.

<Input section 35>
The input unit 35 may be included in the housing of the information processing device 3, or it may be externally attached. For example, the input unit 35 may be implemented as a touch panel integrated with the display unit 34. If it is a touch panel, the user U can input tap operations, swipe operations, etc. Of course, instead of a touch panel, a switch button, mouse, QWERTY keyboard, etc. may be used. In other words, the input unit 35 receives operation input made by the user U. This input is transmitted as a command signal to the control unit 33 via the communication bus 30, and the control unit 33 can execute predetermined controls and calculations as needed.

In particular, the input unit 35 receives a command to transition the display from an image included in the currently displayed, acquired content, to an image related to the desired content. For example, if the input unit 35 is a touch panel integrated with the display unit 34, as shown in Figure 5, a user U taps button 34c on the selection screen, receiving a command to transition the display to the screen (image) of game element γ, which is a content of the application AP. Here, if the content constituting game element γ (the desired content) is already acquired content, the control unit 33 displays the screen of game element γ on the display unit 34 based on this command. On the other hand, if the image of the content constituting game element γ (the desired content) has not yet been acquired, the acquisition unit 331 prioritizes acquiring the unacquired content (content constituting game element γ) that includes that image.

Similarly, when user U taps button 34a on the selection screen, the system receives an input command to transition the display to the screen of game element α, which is a content of application AP. When user U taps button 34b on the selection screen, the system receives an input command to transition the display to the screen of game element β, which is a content of application AP.

2. Description of Each Function Section 2 will describe each function implemented by the information processing device 3 according to this embodiment.

2.1 Parallel Acquisition Function Figure 3 is an activity diagram showing the parallel acquisition function implemented in the information processing device 3. Figure 4 shows the mode in which the parallel acquisition function is executed while the tutorial screen is displayed, and Figure 5 shows the mode in which the parallel acquisition function is executed while the selection screen is displayed. Figure 6 is an overview diagram of the content list CL which shows the priority of content acquisition. The parallel acquisition function will be explained below in accordance with each activity in the activity diagram shown in Figure 3.

[From here]
(Activity A1)
The application AP is acquired by the program PG stored in the memory unit 32 of the information processing device 3. In activity A1, the acquisition unit 331 acquires the initial content included in the application AP. Here, initial content refers to the minimum content necessary for user U to use the application AP, and includes the title screen at startup, the tutorial screen (see Figure 4), or the selection screen where each content can be selected (see Figure 5). In the content list CL shown in Figure 6, contents A to C are the initial content and are acquired preferentially without relying on the replacement function described later. In other words, the acquisition unit 331 preferentially acquires the selection screen content where each content can be selected or the tutorial content that explains each content.

(Activity A2)
After Activity A1 is completed, Activity A2 is executed in parallel with Activity A3, which will be described later. In Activity A2, the display unit 34 displays a screen related to the initial content acquired in Activity A1.

(Activity A3)
After Activity A1 is completed, Activity A3 is executed in parallel with Activity A2. In Activity A3, the acquisition unit 331 acquires the content with the highest acquisition priority in the content list CL stored in the storage unit 32. Activity A3 is executed sequentially until there is no more unacquired content in the content list CL.
[to this point]

In other words, the parallel acquisition function is executed by processing activities A2 and A3 in parallel. This parallel acquisition function allows user U to launch the application before all content has finished downloading. As a result, waiting time is reduced, mitigating problems such as user U experiencing psychological stress or hesitating to install the application in the first place.

2.2 Swap Function Figure 7 is an activity diagram related to the priority of content acquisition. Figure 8 shows the content list CL when unacquired content is selected, Figure 9 shows the content list CL when the swap function is executed in the case shown in Figure 8, and Figures 10A and 10B show alternative examples of Figure 9. The swap function will be explained below in accordance with each activity in the activity diagram shown in Figure 7.

[From here]
(Activity A2)
Activity A2 is executed in parallel with Activity A3. In Activity A2, the display unit 34 displays a selection screen (see Figure 5), which is an example of initial content.

(Activity A3)
Activity A3 is executed in parallel with Activity A2. In Activity A3, the acquisition unit 331 acquires the content with the highest acquisition priority in the content list CL stored in the storage unit 32. Activity A3 is executed sequentially until there is no more unacquired content in the content list CL. Also, please note that since the acquisition priority in the content list CL is rearranged in Activities A4 and A5 described later, Activity A3 is executed based on the latest content list CL.

(Activity A4)
Activity A4 is executed at a timing desired by User U during the execution of Activities A2 and A3. In Activity A4, the input unit 35 receives a command to transition from the selection screen currently displayed by the display unit 34 to the desired content. For example, when User U taps button 34c on the selection screen shown in Figure 5, the input receives a command to transition the display to the screen (image) of game element γ, which is a content of the application AP.

(Activity A5)
If the image of the desired game element γ in Activity A4 is not yet acquired content, Activity A5 is executed. In Activity A5, the swapping unit 332 swaps the acquisition order in the content list CL stored in the storage unit 32 (swapping function). In the specific example shown in Figure 8, when Activity A4 is executed, the top-ranking content in the content list CL is content D (which constitutes game element α), and game element γ is composed of unacquired content H and I. Also, content H and I are ranked lower in acquisition order than content D to G.

In Activity A5, the swapping function is executed, and as shown in Figure 9, the acquisition order of Contents H and I is changed to a higher priority. In other words, the swapping unit 332 rearranges the acquisition order in the content list CL so that the acquisition of the desired content, Content H (followed by Content I), begins after the currently acquired content, Content D.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 10A and 10B, the acquisition of currently acquired content D may be interrupted, and the desired content, content H (followed by content I), may be prioritized for acquisition. That is, when the input unit 35 receives a command to transition to the screen of the desired content, game element γ (content H, I), the acquisition unit 331 interrupts the acquisition of currently acquired content D, and the swapping unit 332 rearranges the acquisition order in the content list CL so that the acquisition of the desired content begins.

(Activity A6)
Once the acquisition of the desired content, which constitutes game element γ, is complete, the display unit 34 transitions to the screen for game element γ and displays it. Alternatively, after the acquisition of content H is complete, the screen related to content H (part of game element γ) may be displayed, or the screen for game element γ may be displayed after the acquisition of both content H and I, which constitute game element γ, is complete.
[to this point]

In other words, while Activity A3 is running, the swapping functions of Activities A4 and A5 can be executed. This ensures that the content desired by User U is prioritized for retrieval. As a result, waiting times are reduced, mitigating problems such as user psychological stress and hesitation to install the app.

3. Other: The aforementioned swapping function may be further improved with creative ideas.

Generally, applications (APs) stored on server 2 may be updated with additional content after the initial installation. Such additional content can generate buzz, leading to an increase in users (Us) who download the application (AP) to their computers. These users (Us) are presumably those who acquired the application (AP) specifically for the additional content.

Therefore, it is preferable for the acquisition unit 331 to prioritize acquiring updated additional content (new content) when the server 2 has stored such content. Here, Figure 11 shows the content list CL when new content, Y and Z, which constitute game element ν, are added to the server 2, and Figure 12 shows the content list CL after the replacement function has been executed in the case shown in Figure 11. That is, based on the update date and time associated with the additional content, the replacement unit 332 should rearrange the acquisition order so that content Y and Z, which are the additional content, are acquired preferentially after the initial content.

4. Conclusion As described above, this embodiment provides a program PG that suppresses the waiting time for the user U that previously occurred due to the installation time of the application AP and the loading time of each content. Such a program PG may be provided as a non-temporary recording medium that can be read by a computer (information processing device 3), or it may be provided so that it can be downloaded from an external server 2, or so-called cloud computing may be implemented in which the program is launched on an external computer and each function can be performed on a client terminal.

In other words, a program is provided for acquiring an application containing multiple content items, wherein a computer configured to acquire the multiple content items from a server via a network functions as a display unit, an input unit, and an acquisition unit. The display unit displays images included in already acquired content that have been acquired while the acquisition of the multiple content items is in progress. The input unit accepts input commands to transition the display from the currently displayed image to a desired image. If the desired image corresponding to the command has not yet been acquired, the acquisition unit prioritizes acquiring unacquired content containing the desired image.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing device 3 that suppresses the waiting time for the user U that conventionally occurred due to the installation time of the application AP and the loading time of each content.

In other words, an information processing device is provided, comprising an acquisition unit, a display unit, and an input unit. The acquisition unit executes an installer for an application containing multiple content items and acquires the multiple content items from a server via a network. The display unit displays images included in already acquired content that have been acquired while the acquisition of the multiple content items is in progress. The input unit receives input commands to transition the display from the currently displayed image to a desired image. Here, if the desired image corresponding to the command has not yet been acquired, the acquisition unit prioritizes acquiring unacquired content containing that image.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a system 1 that suppresses the waiting time for the user U that previously occurred due to the installation time of the application AP and the loading time of each content.

In other words, a system is provided comprising a server and an information processing device, wherein the server stores an application containing multiple content items, the information processing device is configured to be connectable to the server via a network, and comprises an acquisition unit, a display unit, and an input unit, the acquisition unit acquires the multiple content items from the server via the network, the display unit displays images included in already acquired content that have been acquired while the acquisition of the multiple content items is in progress, and the input unit receives input of a command to transition the display from the currently displayed image to a desired image, and here, if the desired image corresponding to the command has not yet been acquired, the acquisition unit prioritizes acquiring unacquired content containing the image.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described, these are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims.

1: System 2: Server 3: Information Processing Device 30: Communication Bus 31: Communication Unit 32: Storage Unit 33: Control Unit 331: Acquisition Unit 332: Replacement Unit 34: Display Unit 34a: Button 34b: Button 34c: Button 34d: Meter 35: Input Unit AP: Application CL: Content List N: Network PG: Program U: User

Claims (4)

The processor comprises,
The game application is configured to retrieve multiple pieces of content, including additional content that is added periodically , via the network .
Based on the update date and time associated with the aforementioned additional content, the aforementioned additional content is retrieved with priority over other unretrieved content.
After the acquisition of the aforementioned additional content is complete, the screen related to said content is displayed on the display unit.
When a command is received to transition the display from the currently displayed screen to other content , the acquisition order of unacquired content other than the aforementioned additional content is rearranged .
Information processing device. The processor configures the game application and retrieves multiple pieces of content, including additional content that is added as needed , over the network .
The processor retrieves the additional content based on the update date and time associated with the additional content, prioritizing the retrieval of the additional content over other unretrieved content.
After the processor has finished acquiring the additional content, it causes the screen related to the content to be displayed on the display unit.
When the processor receives an input command to transition the display from the currently displayed screen to other content , it rearranges the acquisition order of unacquired content other than the additional content .
Information processing methods. In the processor,
The game application is configured to retrieve multiple pieces of content, including additional content that is added periodically , via the network .
Based on the update date and time associated with the aforementioned additional content, the aforementioned additional content will be prioritized for retrieval over other unretrieved content.
After the acquisition of the aforementioned additional content is complete, the screen related to said content is displayed on the display unit.
When a command is received to transition the display from the currently displayed screen to other content , the system executes a process to rearrange the acquisition order of unacquired content other than the aforementioned additional content .
program. The system comprises a server and a terminal, and the terminal is
The game application is configured, and multiple pieces of content, including additional content that is added as needed , are retrieved from the server via the network .
Based on the update date and time associated with the aforementioned additional content, the aforementioned additional content is retrieved with priority over other unretrieved content.
After the acquisition of the aforementioned additional content is complete, the screen related to said content is displayed on the display unit.
When a command is received to transition the display from the currently displayed screen to other content , the acquisition order of unacquired content other than the aforementioned additional content is rearranged .
system.