FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)
“INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING
METHOD, AND PROGRAM”
SONY CORPORATION, of 1-7-1, Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075, Japan
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to
be performed.
2
Description
Title of Invention
INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING
METHOD, 5 AND PROGRAM
Technical Field
[0001]
The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an
10 information processing method, and a program.
Background Art
[0002]
In recent years, a service for providing content to a user via a network has
15 been used as a service for providing various types of information to a user.
[0003]
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a service for providing, to a user,
content based on an evaluation value of each of a plurality of recommenders who
recommend the content, the evaluation value being applied by the user, in order to
20 accurately provide content desired by the user.
Citation List
Patent Literature
[0004]
25 Patent Literature 1: JP 2013-254288A
Disclosure of Invention
Technical Problem
[0005]
30 By the way, in a service for providing content to a user, it may be desired to
urge a plurality of users to recommend content.
3
[0006]
In view of this, the present disclosure proposes an information processing
device, an information processing method, and a program, each of which is new,
improved, and capable of urging a plurality of users to recommend content.
5
Solution to Problem
[0007]
According to the present disclosure, there is provided an information
processing device including: an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of
10 pieces of specification information for specifying content from a plurality of users,
respectively; and a control unit configured to calculate the number of times in which
each piece of the content is specified by the plurality of users on the basis of the
plurality of pieces of the specification information acquired from the plurality of
users and control application of an incentive to the plurality of users on the basis of
15 the calculated number of times.
[0008]
According to the present disclosure, there is provided an information
processing method, including: acquiring a plurality of pieces of specification
information for specifying content from a plurality of users, respectively, by using an
20 information processing device; calculating the number of times in which each piece
of the content is specified by the plurality of users on the basis of the plurality of
pieces of the specification information acquired from the plurality of users; and
controlling application of an incentive to the plurality of users on the basis of the
calculated number of times.
25 [0009]
According to the present disclosure, there is provided a program for causing
a computer configured to control an information processing device to function as an
acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of pieces of specification
information for specifying content from a plurality of users, respectively, and a
30 control unit configured to calculate the number of times in which each piece of the
content is specified by the plurality of users on the basis of the plurality of pieces of
4
the specification information acquired from the plurality of users and control
application of an incentive to the plurality of users on the basis of the calculated
number of times.
Advantageous Effects 5 of Invention
[0010]
As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to
urge a plurality of users to recommend content.
[0011]
10 Note that the effects described above are not necessarily limitative. With
or in the place of the above effects, there may be achieved any one of the effects
described in this specification or other effects that may be grasped from this
specification.
15 Brief Description of Drawings
[0012]
[FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of an information
processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a configuration
20 of a logical function of a content provision server according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content list
screen displayed on a user terminal.
[FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content detail
25 screen displayed on a user terminal.
[FIG. 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of an object
selection window displayed on a user terminal.
[FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a confirmation
window displayed on a user terminal.
30 [FIG. 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content list
screen displayed on a user terminal.
5
[FIG. 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content
ranking screen displayed on a user terminal.
[FIG. 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a user ranking
screen displayed on a user terminal.
[FIG. 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a specific example of a 5 flow of processing
performed by a content provision server according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[FIG. 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content
ranking screen displayed on a user terminal.
10 [FIG. 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content
detail screen displayed on a user terminal.
[FIG. 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a hardware
configuration of a content provision server according to the present disclosure.
15 Mode(s) for Carrying Out the Invention
[0013]
Hereinafter, (a) preferred embodiment(s) of the present disclosure will be
described in detail with reference to the appended drawings. In this specification
and the appended drawings, structural elements that have substantially the same
20 function and structure are denoted with the same reference numerals, and repeated
explanation of these structural elements is omitted.
[0014]
Note that description will be provided in the following order.
1. Outline of information processing system according to embodiment of
25 present disclosure
2. Content provision server according to embodiment of present disclosure
2-1. Functional configuration
2-2. Operation
2-3. Effects
30 2-4. Application example
3. Hardware configuration
6
4. Conclusion
[0015]
<<1. Outline of information processing system according to embodiment of
present disclosure>>
First, an outline of an information processing system 5 according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of the
information processing system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.
10 As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system according to the embodiment
of the present disclosure includes content provision source servers V1 to V3, user
terminals U1 to U3, and a content provision server 10. The content provision
source servers V1 to V3, the user terminals U1 to U3, and the content provision
server 10 communicate to one another via a wired or wireless information network 1.
15 Note that the number of content provision source servers and the number of user
terminals shown in FIG. 1 are merely examples, and a technical scope of the present
disclosure is not limited to such numbers. Hereinafter, in a case where it is
unnecessary to distinguish the content provision source servers V1 to V3 or the user
terminals U1 to U3 in particular, the content provision source servers V1 to V3 and
20 the user terminals U1 to U3 will be generally referred to simply as "content provision
source servers V" and "user terminals U", respectively.
[0017]
The content provision source servers V1 to V3 transmit various types of
content to an external device via the wired or wireless information network 1.
25 Herein, the content means, for example, information on news, information on sports,
information on commodities posted on an electronic commerce (EC) site,
information on television programs, information on games, information on people
belonging to an organization, or information on commodities sold by a maker.
Further, the content provision source servers V1 to V3 update various types of
30 content to be transmitted to the external device as necessary.
[0018]
7
The user terminals U1 to U3 have a function of displaying an image and a
function of accepting input from users. The above functions of the user terminals
U1 to U3 are realized by, for example, a device such as a personal computer, a
smartphone, or a tablet terminal. The user terminals U1 to U3 transmit a request to
display various types of screens to the content provision server 10 in 5 response to user
input. Then, the user terminals U1 to U3 receive information such as content from
the content provision server 10 and display the received information. The users can
specify a piece of content to be recommended to another user among pieces of
content displayed on the user terminals U1 to U3. Then, the user terminals U1 to
10 U3 transmit specification information for specifying content to the content provision
server 10 in response to user input. The user terminals U1 to U3 can also receive
content transmitted from the content provision source servers V1 to V3 and display
the received content.
[0019]
15 The content provision server 10 is an example of the information processing
device according to the present disclosure. The content provision server 10
transmits information such as content to the user terminals U1 to U3 in response to a
request to display various types of screens from the user terminals U1 to U3. For
example, the content provision server 10 receives content transmitted from the
20 content provision source servers V1 to V3 and transmits the above content to the user
terminals U1 to U3 in response to a request to display various types of screens from
the user terminals U1 to U3. The content provision server 10 updates content to be
transmitted to the user terminals U1 to U3 for each predetermined time period. For
example, the content provision server 10 updates content to be transmitted to the user
25 terminals U1 to U3 every day.
[0020]
Furthermore, the content provision server 10 generates various types of
rankings on the basis of specification information for specifying content by a
plurality of users, the specification information being transmitted from the user
30 terminals U1 to U3, and transmits information indicating the generated various types
of rankings to the user terminals U1 to U3 in response to a request to display various
8
types of screens from the user terminals U1 to U3.
[0021]
For example, the content provision server 10 generates a content ranking on
the basis of the number of times in which each piece of content is specified by the
plurality of users. Then, the content provision server 10 5 transmits information
indicating the generated content ranking to the user terminals U1 to U3 in response
to a request to display various types of screens from the user terminals U1 to U3.
By looking at the content ranking, the user can know a degree to which each piece of
content is recommended by the plurality of users.
10 [0022]
Further, the content provision server 10 applies a point to the plurality of
users on the basis of the number of times in which each piece of content is specified
by the plurality of users. Thus, it is possible to improve the users' motivation for
recommending content. Therefore, it is possible to urge the plurality of users to
15 recommend content.
[0023]
Further, the content provision server 10 generates a user ranking on the basis
of a point applied to each user. Then, the content provision server 10 transmits
information indicating the generated user ranking to the user terminals U1 to U3 in
20 response to a request to display various types of screens from the user terminals U1
to U3. By looking at the user ranking, the user can know a rank of an accumulated
point of each user. Further, the content provision server 10 stores the accumulated
point of each user and repeatedly update the user ranking in a certain time period.
[0024]
25 <<2. Content provision server according to embodiment of present
disclosure>>
<2-1. Functional configuration>
In the preceding section, the outline of the information processing system
according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described. Next, a
30 configuration of a logical function of the content provision server 10 according to the
embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to
9
9.
[0025]
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of the
configuration of the logical function of the content provision server 10 according to
the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in 5 FIG. 2, the content
provision server 10 includes a communication unit 100, a storage unit 200, and a
control unit 300.
[0026]
[Communication unit]
10 The communication unit 100 communicates to an external device outside
the content provision server 10 via the wired or wireless information network 1.
For example, the communication unit 100 receives a request to display various types
of screens from the user terminal U and outputs the received request to display
various types of screens to the control unit 300. Further, the communication unit
15 100 acquires a plurality of pieces of specification information for specifying content
from the plurality of users via the user terminals U and stores the plurality of pieces
of the specification information acquired from the plurality of users on the storage
unit 200. Furthermore, the communication unit 100 receives content transmitted
from the content provision source servers V and stores the received content on the
20 storage unit 200. Further, the communication unit 100 transmits information such
as content input from the control unit 300 to the user terminals U.
[0027]
Further, the communication unit 100 may receive category information
indicating a category to which each piece of content belongs from the content
25 provision source servers V and store the received category information of each piece
of content on the storage unit 200. Herein, the category may be, for example,
society, politics, world, economics, IT, sport, or entertainment.
[0028]
[Storage unit]
30 The storage unit 200 stores data to be referred to for various types of
processing in the control unit 300. For example, the storage unit 200 stores a
10
plurality of pieces of specification information transmitted from the user terminals U,
content transmitted from the content provision source servers V, information
indicating a content ranking generated by a content ranking generation unit 306, and
information indicating a user ranking generated by a ranking unit 312.
5 [0029]
[Control unit]
The control unit 300 includes a display control unit 302, a calculation unit
304, the content ranking generation unit 306, an extraction unit 308, an application
unit 310, and the ranking unit 312.
10 [0030]
(Display control unit)
In a case where a request to display various types of screens is input to the
control unit 300 via the communication unit 100, the display control unit 302 outputs
information such as content to the communication unit 100 in response to the input
15 request to display various types of screens. The display control unit 302 transmits
the information such as content to the communication unit 100, thereby displaying
the information such as content on the user terminal U. For example, the display
control unit 302 acquires content transmitted from the content provision source
servers V from the storage unit 200 and displays the above content on the user
20 terminal U in response to a request to display various types of screens input to the
control unit 300 via the communication unit 100.
[0031]
Specifically, the display control unit 302 generates a content list on the basis
of a plurality of pieces of content transmitted from the content provision source
25 servers V and stores the generated content list on the storage unit 200. Then, the
display control unit 302 displays, on the user terminal U, a content list screen
showing the content list stored on the storage unit 200. Further, the display control
unit 302 generates a content list for each predetermined time period and updates the
content list stored on the storage unit 200. For example, the display control unit
30 302 updates the content list every day.
[0032]
11
Note that the display control unit 302 may generate a content list including a
plurality of pieces of content transmitted from the same content provision source
server V. Further, the display control unit 302 may acquire category information of
each piece of content from the storage unit 200 and generate a content list including a
plurality of pieces of content belonging to the same category 5 on the basis of the
acquired category information of each piece of the content.
[0033]
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content list
screen 51 displayed on the user terminal U. In FIG. 3, a content display area A100
10 is shown as an example of an area showing a single piece of content among a
plurality of pieces of content. For example, an article A102 and an image A104 of
the content are displayed in the content display area A100. Furthermore, a content
specification button A106 for specifying content and specification information A108
of the content by other users are displayed in the content display area A100.
15 [0034]
The display control unit 302 causes a user to specify content by causing the
user to select the content specification button A106 on the content list screen 51. In
this way, the user can specify a piece of content to be recommended to another user
among a plurality of pieces of content displayed on the user terminal U. As shown
20 in FIG. 3, the specification information A108 of the content by other users may be,
for example, object information on an object representing an impression on the
content by other users. Note that the display control unit 302 may restrict the
number of objects displayed as the specification information A108 of the content by
other users to a certain number.
25 [0035]
The display control unit 302 restricts a time period in which the user can
specify content to a predetermined time period. For example, the display control
unit 302 may restrict the time period in which the user can specify content to one day
because the content list is updated every day. Hereinafter, the time period in which
30 the user can specify content is also referred to as "specified time period".
[0036]
12
Further, the display control unit 302 determines the number of pieces of
content that can be specified by each user within a predetermined time period. For
example, in a case where the specified time period is one day, the display control unit
302 may restrict the number of pieces of content that can be specified by each user in
one day 5 to a certain number.
[0037]
Furthermore, the display control unit 302 may determine the number of
pieces of content that can be specified by each user within the predetermined time
period on the basis of a frequency of access to the content provision server 10 from
10 each user. For example, the display control unit 302 may increase the number of
pieces of content that can be specified by the user within the predetermined time
period as the frequency of access to the content provision server 10 from the user is
higher.
[0038]
15 Note that the image A104 of the content and the specification information
A108 of the content by other users may not be displayed in the content display area
A100. Further, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to an
example where the content specification button A106 includes a word "Recommend",
and the content specification button A106 may include another word, figure, or
20 symbol, or a combination thereof.
[0039]
As shown in FIG. 3, the content list screen 51 may include a general tab T1,
a new tab T2, and a ranking tab T3 for switching screens. The display control unit
302 causes the user to select various types of tabs, thereby displaying a screen based
25 on the various types of tabs on the user terminal U. The content list screen 51
shown in FIG. 3 is a screen displayed in a case where the new tab T2 is selected.
Note that various types of ranking screens displayed in a case where the ranking tab
T3 is selected will be described below. Further, in a case where the general tab T1
is selected, the display control unit 302 displays the content list screen 51 and various
30 types of ranking screens side by side on the user terminal U.
[0040]
13
Further, the display control unit 302 may display, on the user terminal U, a
content detail screen showing detailed information of the content corresponding to
the content display area A100 in response to predetermined user input such as a tap
or a click to the article A102 of the content.
5 [0041]
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content detail
screen 53 displayed on the user terminal U. On the content detail screen 53 shown
in FIG. 4, there are displayed an article B102, an article B110, and an image B104 of
the content corresponding to the content display area A100, which are more detailed
10 than the article A102 and the image A104 of the content shown in FIG. 3. Further,
a link button B112 to an external site is displayed on the content detail screen 53
shown in FIG. 4. The display control unit 302 causes the user to select the link
button B112 to cause the user terminal U to communicate to the content provision
source server V that is a provision source of the content. In this way, it is possible
15 to provide more detailed information of the content to the user.
[0042]
In a case where the content specification button A106 is selected by the user
on the content list screen 51 shown in FIG. 3 or the content detail screen 53 shown in
FIG. 4, the display control unit 302 may display, on the user terminal U, an object
20 selection window 55 for causing the user to select an object representing an
impression on the content.
[0043]
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of the object
selection window 55 displayed on the user terminal U. The object selection
25 window 55 includes a plurality of objects L1 to L4 representing respective
impressions on the content, a decision button C102, and a cancel button C104. As
shown in FIG. 5, the objects L1 to L4 represent different impressions on the content
with the use of respective different words and symbols. In a case where any one of
the objects L1 to L4 is selected and the decision button C102 is further selected by
30 the user, the user terminal U transmits specification information containing object
information on the object selected by the user to the content provision server 10.
14
On the contrary, in a case where the cancel button C104 is selected by the user, the
user terminal U does not transmit the specification information containing the object
information on the object selected by the user to the content provision server 10, and
the display control unit 302 causes the user terminal U to close the object selection
5 window 55.
[0044]
Note that the number and appearance of the objects L1 to L4 shown in FIG.
5 are merely examples, and the number of the objects may be other than four, and the
objects may be other words, figures, or symbols, or combination thereof. Further,
10 the appearance of the objects may be different depending on the specified time
period, a category to which the content belongs, a provision source of the content, or
the like. Further, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to an
example where the decision button C102 and the cancel button C104 include words
"Recommend" and "Cancel", respectively, and the decision button C102 and the
15 cancel button C104 may include other words, figures, or symbols, or combinations
thereof.
[0045]
Further, the display control unit 302 may display, on the user terminal U, a
confirmation window for causing the user to confirm an object selected by the user.
20 For example, in a case where the object L1 is selected and the decision button C102
is further selected by the user in the object selection window 55, the display control
unit 302 displays a confirmation window 57 shown in FIG. 6 on the user terminal U.
The confirmation window 57 includes the object L1 selected by the user and a
confirmation button D102. In a case where the confirmation button D1 is selected
25 by the user, the display control unit 302 causes the user terminal U to close the
confirmation window 57.
[0046]
Note that the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to an
example where the confirmation button D102 includes a word "Close", and the
30 confirmation button D102 may be another word, figure, or symbol, or a combination
thereof.
15
[0047]
In the case where specification of the content is performed by the user, the
display control unit 302 may display specification information of the content by the
user on the content list screen and the content detail screen that have been described
with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. For example, after the 5 confirmation window
57 shown in FIG. 6 is closed, the display control unit 302 may display a content list
screen 59 shown in FIG. 7 on the user terminal U. In the content display area A100
shown in FIG. 7, the content specification button A106 is not displayed, and the
object L1 selected by the user is displayed as the specification information.
10 [0048]
(Calculation unit)
The calculation unit 304 acquires a plurality of pieces of specification
information acquired from the plurality of users from the storage unit 200 and
calculates the number of times in which each piece of content is specified by the
15 plurality of users on the basis of the plurality of pieces of the specification
information acquired from the plurality of users. Then, the calculation unit 304
outputs the above calculated number of times to the content ranking generation unit
306.
[0049]
20 The calculation unit 304 may calculate the number of times in which each
piece of content is specified by the plurality of users every time when the specified
time period passes. For example, in a case where the specified time period is one
day, the calculation unit 304 may calculate the number of times in which each piece
of content that was a specification target on the previous day is specified by the
25 plurality of users every time when one day passes.
[0050]
(Content ranking generation unit)
The content ranking generation unit 306 generates a content ranking on the
basis of the number of times in which each piece of content is specified by the
30 plurality of users, the number of times being calculated by the calculation unit 304.
For example, the content ranking generation unit 306 generates a content ranking in
16
descending order of the number of times specified by the plurality of users. Then,
the content ranking generation unit 306 stores the generated content ranking on the
storage unit 200. Further, the content ranking generation unit 306 generates a
content ranking every time when the specified time period passes and updates the
content ranking stored on 5 the storage unit 200.
[0051]
The display control unit 302 displays a content ranking screen showing the
content ranking stored on the storage unit 200 on the user terminal U in response to
predetermined user input. For example, in a case where the ranking tab T3 is
10 selected by the user on the content list screen 51 shown in FIG. 3, the display control
unit 302 displays, on the user terminal U, a content ranking screen of pieces of
content that were specification targets on the previous day. Note that a piece of
content having a rank lower than a certain rank may not be displayed on the content
ranking screen.
15 [0052]
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content
ranking screen 61 displayed on the user terminal U. In FIG. 8, a content display
area F100 is shown as an example of an area showing a single piece of content
among a plurality of pieces of content. For example, an article F102 and an image
20 F104 of the content are displayed in the content display area F100. Furthermore,
specification information F108 of the content by other users is displayed in the
content display area F100. As shown in FIG. 8, the specification information F108
of the content by other users may be, for example, information on a ratio of the
numbers of times in which objects representing respective impressions on the content
25 are selected. Further, the objects representing the respective impressions on the
content may be displayed in the content display area F100 as a part of the
specification information F108 of the content by other users, and appearance of the
displayed objects may be different depending on the specified time period, a category
to which the content belongs, a provision source of the content, or the like.
30 [0053]
Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the content ranking screen 61 may include a
17
recommended article button S1 and a user button S2 for switching screens. The
content ranking screen 61 shown in FIG. 8 is a screen displayed in a case where the
recommended article button S1 is selected. Note that a user ranking screen
displayed in a case where the user button S2 is selected will be described below.
5 [0054]
Further, the display control unit 302 may display, on the user terminal U, a
content detail screen showing detailed information of the content corresponding to
the content display area F100 in response to predetermined user input such as a tap or
a click to the article F102 of the content.
10 [0055]
Note that, in a case where categories to which a plurality of pieces of
content that were specification targets on the previous day belong are not the same,
the content ranking generation unit 306 may generate a plurality of content rankings
for the respective categories.
15 [0056]
(Extraction unit)
The extraction unit 308 extracts content on the basis of the content ranking
generated by the content ranking generation unit 306. The extraction unit 308
extracts, for example, content having a rank equal to or more than a threshold set in
20 advance from the content ranking.
[0057]
Note that, in a case where a plurality of content rankings are generated for
respective categories by the content ranking generation unit 306, the extraction unit
308 may extract content from each of the plurality of generated content rankings.
25 [0058]
(Application unit)
The application unit 310 controls application of a point to a plurality of
users on the basis of the number of times in which each piece of content is specified
by the plurality of users, the number of times being calculated by the calculation unit
30 304. For example, the application unit 310 applies a point to a user who specifies
content extracted by the extraction unit 308. Further, the application unit 310
18
outputs information indicating the point applied to each user to the ranking unit 312.
[0059]
Further, the application unit 310 may control application of a point on the
basis of a plurality of pieces of object information acquired from the plurality of
users. For example, the application unit 310 may apply a point 5 to the users on the
basis of a ratio of the numbers of times in which the respective objects are selected
regarding the content extracted by the extraction unit 308. Specifically, the
application unit 310 may control a point so that a higher point is applied to a user
who selects an object having a large number of times selected by the plurality of
10 users regarding the content extracted by the extraction unit 308.
[0060]
Further, the application unit 310 may control application of a point on the
basis of category information of each piece of content and the number of times in
which each piece of content is specified by the plurality of users, the number of times
15 being calculated by the calculation unit 304. For example, in a case where a
plurality of content rankings are generated for respective categories and content is
extracted from each of the plurality of content rankings, the application unit 310 may
apply a point to a user who specifies the extracted content on the basis of a category
to which the content belongs. Note that the application unit 310 may control
20 application of a point on the basis of the specified time period or a distribution source
of the content specified by the user.
[0061]
Further, in a case where all pieces of content specified by a single user are
included in the pieces of content extracted by the extraction unit 308, the application
25 unit 310 may further apply a point to the single user.
[0062]
Further, the application unit 310 may apply a point to a user who specifies
content the earliest regarding each piece of content. For example, when the user
specifies content that is not specified by other users by referring to specification
30 information of content by other users displayed on the user terminal U, the user can
obtain a point. With this, it is possible to reduce the user's resistance to specify
19
content that is not specified by other users.
[0063]
Further, the application unit 310 may control a point to be applied to a
single user by specifying content in this specified time period depending on whether
or not a point has been applied to the single user by specifying 5 content in the
previous specified time period. For example, in a case where a point has been
applied to a single user by specifying content in the previous specified time period,
the application unit 310 may increase a point to be applied to the single user by
specifying content in this specified time period, as compared to a case where a point
10 has not been applied to the single user by specifying content in the previous specified
time period.
[0064]
Note that a point to be applied to the user by the application unit 310 is
merely an example of an incentive, and the technical scope of the present disclosure
15 is not limited to such an example. For example, the application unit 310 may apply
an electronic coupon, additional information related to content specified by the user,
or the like to the user as the incentive.
[0065]
(Ranking unit)
20 The ranking unit 312 ranks the plurality of users on the basis of a point
applied to each of the plurality of users by the application unit 310. Specifically,
the ranking unit 312 ranks the plurality of users by generating a user ranking on the
basis of information indicating a point input from the application unit 310 and
applied to each user and updating the user ranking. First, the ranking unit 312
25 generates a user ranking when a first specified time period passes and stores the
generated user ranking and the point applied to each user on the storage unit 200.
Thereafter, the ranking unit 312 repeatedly update the user ranking and the point
applied to each user stored on the storage unit 200 in a certain time period every time
when the specified time period passes.
30 [0066]
The display control unit 302 displays a user ranking screen showing the user
20
ranking stored on the storage unit 200 on the user terminal U in response to
predetermined user input. For example, in a case where the user button S2 is
selected by the user on the content ranking screen 61 shown in FIG. 8, the display
control unit 302 displays a user ranking screen 63 shown in FIG. 9 on the user
terminal U. In FIG. 9, a user display area G100 is shown as an 5 example of an area
showing a single user among the plurality of users. For example, an image G102, a
name G104, and an accumulated point G106 of the user are displayed in the user
display area G100. Further, a plurality of time periods in which the user ranking is
repeatedly updated by the ranking unit 312 may exist. For example, different user
10 rankings may be generated and be updated in a time period corresponding to a first
half and a time period corresponding to a second half shown in FIG. 9.
[0067]
Note that the application unit 310 may apply a privilege such as an
electronic coupon to a higher rank person when the time period in which the user
15 ranking is repeatedly updated by the ranking unit 312 is completed. Further, the
ranking unit 312 may generate a user ranking for each category on the basis of a
category to which content specified by each user who has obtained a point belongs,
and, in that case, a privilege to be applied to a higher rank person by the application
unit 310 may be different between the categories of the user rankings.
20 [0068]
<2-2. Operation>
A flow of processing performed by the content provision server 10
according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with
reference to FIG. 10. Note that the specified time period is assumed to be one day
25 in the following description of the flow of the processing performed by the content
provision server 10.
[0069]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the flow of the
processing performed by the content provision server 10 according to the
30 embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 10, first, when the
communication unit 100 acquires a plurality of pieces of specification information
21
for specifying content from a plurality of users, respectively (Step S502), the
communication unit 100 stores the plurality of acquired pieces of the specification
information on the storage unit 200. In a case where one day has not passed yet
(Step S504/NO), the processing returns to the processing in Step S502. On the
contrary, in a case where one day has passed (Step S504/YES), 5 the display control
unit 302 generates a content list to be displayed on the user terminal U (Step S506)
and stores the generated content list on the storage unit 200. Then, the calculation
unit 304 calculates the number of times in which each piece of content is specified by
the plurality of users on the basis of the plurality of pieces of the specification
10 information acquired from the plurality of users (Step S508). Then, the content
ranking generation unit 306 generates a content ranking on the basis of the number of
times in which each piece of content is specified by the plurality of users (Step S510)
and stores the generated content ranking on the storage unit 200. Then, the
extraction unit 308 extracts content on the basis of the content ranking (Step S512).
15 Then, the application unit 310 applies a point to a user who specifies the extracted
content (Step S514). Then, the ranking unit 312 updates a user ranking stored on
the storage unit 200 on the basis of the point applied to each of the plurality of users
(Step S516). Then, in a case where the time period in which the user ranking is
repeatedly updated has not passed yet (Step S518/NO), the processing returns to the
20 processing in Step S502. On the contrary, in a case where the time period in which
the user ranking is repeatedly updated has passed (Step S518/YES), the processing
shown in FIG. 10 is completed.
[0070]
<2-3. Effects>
25 According to the above embodiment, the calculation unit 304 calculates the
number of times in which each piece of content is specified by a plurality of users on
the basis of a plurality of pieces of specification information acquired from the
plurality of users, and the application unit 310 controls application of an incentive to
the plurality of users on the basis of the number of times in which each piece of the
30 content is specified by the plurality of users, the number of times being calculated by
the calculation unit 304. With this, it is possible to urge the plurality of users to
22
recommend content.
[0071]
Further, according to a certain embodiment, the ranking unit 312 ranks a
plurality of users on the basis of a point applied to each of the plurality of users by
the application unit 310. With this, it is possible to stimulate 5 willingness of the
users to achieve goals.
[0072]
Further, according to a certain embodiment, the display control unit 302
restricts a time period in which a user can specify content to a predetermined time
10 period. With this, it is possible to increase a frequency of update of content to be
provided to the user. Therefore, it is possible to provide content in which the user is
highly interested.
[0073]
Further, according to a certain embodiment, the display control unit 302
15 determines the number of pieces of content that can be specified by each user within
a predetermined time period. With this, it is possible to cause the user to specify
suitable content as content to be recommended to another user.
[0074]
Further, according to a certain embodiment, the display control unit 302
20 determines the number of pieces of content that can be specified by each user within
the predetermined time period on the basis of a frequency of access to the content
provision server 10 from each user. With this, it is possible to urge use of a content
provision service.
[0075]
25 Further, according to a certain embodiment, specification information
acquired by the communication unit 100 contains object information on an object
selected by a user from a plurality of objects representing respective impressions on
content. With this, it is possible to smoothly notify the user of impressions on each
piece of content by a plurality of users.
30 [0076]
Further, according to a certain embodiment, the application unit 310
23
controls an incentive to be applied to a user on the basis of a plurality of pieces of
object information acquired from a plurality of users. With this, it is possible to
cause the user to select a suitable impression as an impression on content.
[0077]
Further, according to a certain embodiment, application 5 of an incentive to a
plurality of users is controlled on the basis of category information of each piece of
content and the number of times in which each piece of content is specified by the
plurality of users, the number of times being calculated by the calculation unit 304.
With this, it is possible to stimulate willingness of the plurality of users to achieve
10 respective goals even in a case where categories in which the plurality of users are
interested are different from each other.
[0078]
<2-4. Application example>
In the preceding section, an embodiment of the present disclosure capable of
15 urging a plurality of users to recommend content has been described. In this section,
an application example capable of smoothly sharing content between a user and
another user will be further described.
[0079]
In the application example, the display control unit 302 has a function of
20 specifying content extracted by the extraction unit 308 and permitting sharing of the
above content between a user to which a point is applied by the application unit 310
and another user in a network service other than a network service provided by the
content provision server 10.
[0080]
25 Specifically, the display control unit 302 realizes the above function by
specifying content extracted by the extraction unit 308 and displaying a share button
on the user terminal U used by the user to which the point is applied by the
application unit 310. Herein, the share button displayed on the user terminal U is a
button for sharing the above content with another user in a network service (for
30 example, social network service) other than the network service provided by the
content provision server 10. Hereinafter, an example of display of such a share
24
button will be described.
[0081]
FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content
ranking screen 65 displayed on the user terminal U by the display control unit 302 in
the application example. In FIG. 11, the content display area 5 F100 is shown as an
example of an area showing a single piece of content among a plurality of pieces of
content. The content ranking screen 65 is a screen that can be displayed on the user
terminal U in a case where content corresponding to the content display area F100 is
extracted by the extraction unit 308 and the content is specified by the user. As
10 shown in FIG. 11, a share button H102 of the content corresponding to the content
display area F100 is displayed in the content display area F100.
[0082]
FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a content
detail screen 67 displayed on the user terminal U by the display control unit 302 in
15 the application example. The content detail screen 67 shown in FIG. 12 is a screen
displayed in response to predetermined user input such as a tap or a click to the
article F102 of the content on the content ranking screen 65 shown in FIG. 11 and
shows detailed information of the content corresponding to the content display area
F100 shown in FIG. 11. The share button H102 is displayed on the content detail
20 screen 67 shown in FIG. 12 as well as on the content ranking screen 65 shown in FIG.
11. Note that, at a time at which the content detail screen 67 is displayed, the
content displayed by the content detail screen 67 is not content that is a specification
target by the user. Thus, as shown in FIG. 12, information on a ratio of the numbers
of times in which the objects representing the respective impressions on the content
25 are selected may be displayed on the content detail screen 67 as the specification
information F108 of the content by other users.
[0083]
By selecting the share button H102 shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the user
can share the content corresponding to the content display area F100 shown in FIG.
30 11 with another user in a network service other than the network service provided by
the content provision server 10.
25
[0084]
Further, in the application example, the application unit 310 further applies
a point to the user who shares content with another user permitted by the display
control unit 302. Further, the application unit 310 may control a point to be applied
to a plurality of users in accordance with order in which the plurality 5 of users share
content with another user. For example, the application unit 310 may control a
point so that a higher point is applied to a user who shares content with another user
earlier.
[0085]
10 According to the above application example, the display control unit 302
permits sharing of the above content between a user who specifies content extracted
by the extraction unit 308 and another user in a network service other than the
network service provided by the content provision server 10. With this, it is
possible to smoothly share content between a user and another user.
15 [0086]
Further, according to a certain application example, the application unit 310
further applies a point to a user who shares content with another user permitted by
the display control unit 302. With this, the user's interest in presence/absence of
permission to share content with another user is increased, and therefore it is possible
20 to increase a frequency of use of a content provision service.
[0087]
<<3. Hardware configuration>>
Hereinabove, an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described.
The processing of the content provision server 10 described above is realized by
25 cooperation between software and hardware of the content provision server 10
described below.
[0088]
FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a hardware configuration of the
content provision server 10 according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG.
30 13, the content provision server 10 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 142, a
read only memory (ROM) 144, a random access memory (RAM) 146, a bridge 148,
26
a bus 150, an interface 152, an input device 154, an output device 156, a storage
device 158, a drive 160, and a connection port 162, and a communication device 164.
[0089]
The CPU 142 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control
device and realizes operation of the control unit 300 in the content 5 provision server
10 in cooperation with various types of programs. Further, the CPU 142 may be a
microprocessor. The ROM 144 stores a program, an arithmetic parameter, or the
like used by the CPU 142. The RAM 146 temporarily stores a program used in
execution of the CPU 142, a parameter that is appropriately changed in execution, or
10 the like. The CPU 142, the ROM 144, and the RAM 146 are connected to one
another via an internal bus configured by a CPU bus or the like.
[0090]
The input device 154 is, for example, input means for allowing a user to
input information such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touchscreen, a button, a
15 microphone, a switch, and a lever and is configured by, for example, an input control
circuit for generating an input signal on the basis of input from a user and outputting
the input signal to the CPU 142. By operating the input device 154, a user of the
content provision server 10 can input various types of data to the content provision
server 10 and instruct the content provision server 10 to perform processing
20 operation.
[0091]
The output device 156 performs output to a device such as a liquid crystal
device (LCD) device, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) device, or a lamp.
Furthermore, the output device 156 may perform audio output to a loudspeaker,
25 headphones, and the like.
[0092]
The storage device 158 is a device for storing data. The storage device 158
may include a storage medium, a recording device for recording data on the storage
medium, a reading device for reading data from the storage medium, a deletion
30 device for deleting data recorded on the storage medium, and the like. The storage
device 158 stores a program executed by the CPU 142 and various types of data.
27
[0093]
The drive 160 is a reader/writer for a storage medium and is included in or
is externally attached to the content provision server 10. The drive 160 reads
information recorded on a removable storage medium attached thereto such as a
magnetic disk, an optical disc, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor 5 memory
and outputs the information to the RAM 144. Further, the drive 160 can also write
information to the removable storage medium.
[0094]
The connection port 162 is, for example, a bus for connection to an
10 information processing device or a peripheral device provided outside the content
provision server 10. Further, the connection port 162 may be a universal serial bus
(USB).
[0095]
The communication device 164 is, for example, a communication interface
15 configured by a communication device for connection to a network. Further, the
communication device 164 may be an infrared communication compatible device, a
wireless local area network (LAN) compatible communication device, a long term
evolution (LTE) compatible communication device, or a wired communication
device for performing wired communication.
20 [0096]
<<4. Conclusion>>
As described above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
the number of times in which each piece of content is specified by a plurality of users
is calculated on the basis of a plurality of pieces of specification information
25 acquired from the plurality of users, and application of an incentive to the plurality of
users is controlled on the basis of the calculated number of times in which each piece
of content is specified by the plurality of users. With this, it is possible to urge the
plurality of users to recommend content.
[0097]
30 Further, according to a certain embodiment, a plurality of users are ranked
on the basis of a point applied to each of the plurality of users. With this, it is
28
possible to stimulate willingness of the plurality of users to achieve goals.
[0098]
Further, according to a certain application example, there is permitted
sharing of the above content between a user who specifies extracted content and
another user in a network service other than a network service 5 provided by the
content provision server. With this, it is possible to smoothly share content between
a user and another user.
[0099]
Hereinabove, there has been described an example where a point to be
10 applied to a user is controlled on the basis of specification information for specifying
content by the user. However, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not
limited to such an example. For example, a part of specification information for
specifying content by the user may not influence control of a point to be applied to
the user.
15 [0100]
Specifically, the content provision server 10 displays not only the above
content specification button but also another button on the content list screen. The
user can specify content by selecting the another button. However, specification
information, which is obtained in such a manner that the user selects the another
20 button, does not influence control a point to be applied to the user. Thus, it is
possible to cause the user to specify more suitable content as content to be
recommended to another user.
[0101]
Further, the specification information, which is obtained in such a manner
25 that the user selects the another button, and specification information, which is
obtained in such a manner that the user selects the content specification button, may
be separately displayed on the user terminal U. Thus, it is possible to provide, to
the user, specification information of more suitable content recommended by a
plurality of users.
30 [0102]
In addition, the series of control processes carried out by each apparatus
29
described in the present specification may be realized by software, hardware, or a
combination of software and hardware. Programs that compose such software may
be stored in advance for example on a storage medium (non-transitory medium)
provided inside or outside each of the apparatus. As one example, during execution
by a computer, such programs are written into RAM (Random 5 Access Memory) and
executed by a processor such as a CPU.
[0103]
Note that it is not necessary for the processing described in this specification
with reference to the flowchart to be executed in the order shown in the flowchart.
10 Some processing steps may be performed in parallel. Further, some of additional
steps can be adopted, or some processing steps can be omitted.
[0104]
The preferred embodiment(s) of the present disclosure has/have been
described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, whilst the present
15 disclosure is not limited to the above examples. A person skilled in the art may find
various alterations and modifications within the scope of the appended claims, and it
should be understood that they will naturally come under the technical scope of the
present disclosure.
[0105]
20 Further, the effects described in this specification are merely illustrative or
exemplified effects, and are not limitative. That is, with or in the place of the above
effects, the technology according to the present disclosure may achieve other effects
that are clear to those skilled in the art from the description of this specification.
[0106]
25 Additionally, the present technology may also be configured as below.
(1)
An information processing device including:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of pieces of
specification information for specifying content from a plurality of users,
30 respectively; and
a control unit configured to calculate the number of times in which each
30
piece of the content is specified by the plurality of users on the basis of the plurality
of pieces of the specification information acquired from the plurality of users and
control application of an incentive to the plurality of users on the basis of the
calculated number of times.
5 (2)
The information processing device according to (1),
in which the incentive includes a point to be applied to a user, and
the control unit ranks the plurality of users on the basis of the point applied
to each of the plurality of users.
10 (3)
The information processing device according to (1) or (2),
the control unit restricts a time period in which a user can specify content to
a predetermined time period.
(4)
15 The information processing device according to (3),
in which the control unit determines the number of pieces of content that
can be specified by each user within the predetermined time period.
(5)
The information processing device according to (4),
20 in which the control unit determines the number of pieces of content that
can be specified by the each user within the predetermined time period on the basis
of a frequency of access to the information processing device from the each user.
(6)
The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (5),
25 in which the control unit extracts content on the basis of the calculated
number of times and applies an incentive to a user who specifies the extracted
content.
(7)
The information processing device according to (6),
30 in which the control unit permits sharing of the extracted content between
the user who specifies the extracted content and another user in a network service
31
other than a network service provided by the information processing device.
(8)
The information processing device according to (7),
in which the control unit further applies the incentive to the user who
performs sharing with 5 the another user.
(9)
The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (8),
in which the specification information contains object information on an
object selected by a user from a plurality of objects representing respective
10 impressions on the content.
(10)
The information processing device according to (9),
in which the control unit controls an incentive to be applied to a user on the
basis of a plurality of pieces of the object information acquired from the plurality of
15 users.
(11)
The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (10),
in which the acquisition unit acquires category information of each piece of
content, and
20 the control unit controls application of an incentive to the plurality of users
on the basis of the category information and the calculated number of times.
(12)
An information processing method, including:
acquiring a plurality of pieces of specification information for specifying
25 content from a plurality of users, respectively, by using an information processing
device;
calculating the number of times in which each piece of the content is
specified by the plurality of users on the basis of the plurality of pieces of the
specification information acquired from the plurality of users; and
30 controlling application of an incentive to the plurality of users on the basis
of the calculated number of times.
32
(13)
A program for causing a computer configured to control an information
processing device to function as
an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of pieces of
specification information for specifying content from a plurality 5 of users,
respectively, and
a control unit configured to calculate the number of times in which each
piece of the content is specified by the plurality of users on the basis of the plurality
of pieces of the specification information acquired from the plurality of users and
10 control application of an incentive to the plurality of users on the basis of the
calculated number of times.
Reference Signs List
[0107]
15 1 information network
10 content provision server
V1, V2, V3 content provision source server
U1, U2, U3 user terminal
100 communication unit
20 142 central processing unit (CPU)
144 read only memory (ROM)
146 random access memory (RAM)
148 bridge
150 bus
25 152 interface
154 input device
156 output device
158 storage device
160 drive
30 162 connection port
164 communication device
33
200 storage unit
300 control unit
302 display control unit
304 calculation unit
306 content ranking 5 generation unit
308 extraction unit
310 application unit
312 ranking unit
34
CLAIMS
Claim 1
An information processing device comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of pieces of
specification information for specifying content from a plurality 5 of users,
respectively; and
a control unit configured to calculate the number of times in which each
piece of the content is specified by the plurality of users on the basis of the plurality
of pieces of the specification information acquired from the plurality of users and
10 control application of an incentive to the plurality of users on the basis of the
calculated number of times.
Claim 2
The information processing device according to claim 1,
15 wherein the incentive includes a point to be applied to a user, and
the control unit ranks the plurality of users on the basis of the point applied
to each of the plurality of users.
Claim 3
20 The information processing device according to claim 1,
the control unit restricts a time period in which a user can specify content to
a predetermined time period.
Claim 4
25 The information processing device according to claim 3,
wherein the control unit determines the number of pieces of content that can
be specified by each user within the predetermined time period.
Claim 5
30 The information processing device according to claim 4,
wherein the control unit determines the number of pieces of content that can
35
be specified by the each user within the predetermined time period on the basis of a
frequency of access to the information processing device from the each user.
Claim 6
The information processing device according 5 to claim 1,
wherein the control unit extracts content on the basis of the calculated
number of times and applies an incentive to a user who specifies the extracted
content.
10 Claim 7
The information processing device according to claim 6,
wherein the control unit permits sharing of the extracted content between
the user who specifies the extracted content and another user in a network service
other than a network service provided by the information processing device.
15
Claim 8
The information processing device according to claim 7,
wherein the control unit further applies the incentive to the user who
performs sharing with the another user.
20
Claim 9
The information processing device according to claim 1,
wherein the specification information contains object information on an
object selected by a user from a plurality of objects representing respective
25 impressions on the content.
Claim 10
The information processing device according to claim 9,
wherein the control unit controls an incentive to be applied to a user on the
30 basis of a plurality of pieces of the object information acquired from the plurality of
users.
36
Claim 11
The information processing device according to claim 1,
wherein the acquisition unit acquires category information of each piece of
5 content, and
the control unit controls application of an incentive to the plurality of users
on the basis of the category information and the calculated number of times.
Claim 12
10 An information processing method, comprising:
acquiring a plurality of pieces of specification information for specifying
content from a plurality of users, respectively, by using an information processing
device;
calculating the number of times in which each piece of the content is
15 specified by the plurality of users on the basis of the plurality of pieces of the
specification information acquired from the plurality of users; and
controlling application of an incentive to the plurality of users on the basis
of the calculated number of times.
20 Claim 13
A program for causing a computer configured to control an information
processing device to function as
an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of pieces of
specification information for specifying content from a plurality of users,
25 respectively, and
a control unit configured to calculate the number of times in which each
piece of the content is specified by the plurality of users on the basis of the plurality
of pieces of the specification information acquired from the plurality of users and
control application of an incentive to the plurality of users on the basis of the
30 calculated number of times.
37