Information providing device, information providing method and program

Abstract

An information providing device, an information providing method, and a program are provided that can encourage a person being watched over to be active. [Solution] The information providing device acquires activity content information indicating the activity content of the primary user and browsing information of the secondary user corresponding to the activity content of the primary user, registers the acquired activity content information of the primary user and the browsing information in a storage unit, acquires a request from the secondary user to browse the activity content information of the primary user, determines whether the content of the activity content information of the primary user specified by the browsing request and the browsing status indicated by the browsing information satisfy preset conditions, and if it determines that the preset conditions are satisfied, sends an activity request request to the information terminal of the primary user to encourage the primary user to engage in activity.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing device, an information providing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various services have been provided for watching over a person being watched over. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a notification system for watching over a person being watched over who moves to various locations. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6929477 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, while the above notification system makes it possible to monitor the activities of the person being monitored, it does not allow the person being monitored to encourage the person being monitored to engage in activity, leaving room for improvement in terms of encouraging the person being monitored to engage in activity.

[0005] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an information providing device, an information providing method, and a program that can encourage a person being watched over to become active. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information providing device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises: an activity content acquisition unit that acquires activity content information indicating the activity content of the main user; a browsing information acquisition unit that acquires browsing information of secondary users corresponding to the activity content of the main user; an activity report etc. registration unit that registers the activity content information of the primary user acquired by the activity content acquisition unit and the browsing information acquired by the browsing information acquisition unit in a storage unit; a view request acquisition unit that acquires a view request from the secondary user to view the activity content information of the primary user; a condition determination unit that determines whether the content of the activity content information of the primary user specified by the viewing request acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit and the viewing state indicated by the viewing information satisfy a preset condition; an activity request sending unit that sends an activity request to the information terminal of the primary user to encourage the primary user to take action when the condition determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is met; Equipped with.

[0007] In addition, in the information providing device according to the above aspect, The activity content information of the primary user includes at least the date on which the primary user performed the activity and the activity content; The condition determination unit determines whether the preset condition is satisfied based on a period from the date and time when the activity content information of the primary user is registered by the activity report etc. registration unit to the date and time when the viewing request is acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit. This may be done.

[0008] In addition, in the information providing device according to the above aspect, The condition determination unit determines that the preset condition is satisfied when all of the activity content information of the main user registered by the activity report etc. registration unit has been viewed, and the period from the date and time when the activity content information of the main user was registered by the activity report etc. registration unit to the date and time when the viewing request was acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit exceeds a preset elapsed period. This may be done.

[0009] In addition, in the information providing device according to the above aspect, the activity request sending unit sends the content of the activity request request to the information terminal of the primary user in a display mode that does not require the launch of an application on the information terminal of the primary user and is viewable by the primary user; This may be done.

[0010] In addition, in the information providing device according to the above aspect, The activity report registration unit calculates a remaining amount of the primary user to a preset activity goal based on the activity content indicated by the activity content information of the primary user acquired by the activity content acquisition unit, the activity request sending unit sends the activity request request to the information terminal of the primary user, the activity request request including the remaining amount up to the activity goal; This may be done.

[0011] An information providing method according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises: An information providing method by an information providing device, an activity content acquisition step of acquiring activity content information indicating the activity content of the main user; a browsing information acquisition step of acquiring browsing information of secondary users corresponding to the activity content of the main user; an activity report etc. registration step of registering the activity content information of the main user acquired in the activity content acquisition step and the browsing information acquired in the browsing information acquisition step in a storage unit; a view request acquisition step of acquiring a view request from the secondary user to view the activity content information of the primary user; a condition determination step of determining whether or not the content of the activity content information of the primary user specified by the viewing request acquired in the viewing request acquisition step and the viewing state indicated by the viewing information satisfy a preset condition; an activity request sending step of sending an activity request to the information terminal of the primary user to encourage the primary user to take action when it is determined in the condition determining step that the preset condition is met; Equipped with.

[0012] A program according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises: Computer, an activity content acquisition unit that acquires activity content information indicating the activity content of the main user; a browsing information acquisition unit that acquires browsing information of secondary users corresponding to the activity content of the main user; an activity report etc. registration unit that registers the activity content information of the main user acquired by the activity content acquisition unit and the browsing information acquired by the browsing information acquisition unit in a storage unit; a view request acquisition unit that acquires a view request from the secondary user to view the activity content information of the primary user; a condition determination unit that determines whether or not the content of the activity content information of the primary user specified by the viewing request acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit and the viewing state indicated by the viewing information satisfy a preset condition; an activity request sending unit that sends an activity request to the information terminal of the primary user to encourage the primary user to take action when the condition determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is met; Function as.

[0013] The program may be recorded on a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium can be distributed and sold independently of the computer. Here, the term "non-transitory recording medium" refers to a tangible recording medium. Examples of non-transitory recording media include compact discs, flexible disks, hard disks, magneto-optical disks, digital video disks, magnetic tapes, and semiconductor memories. Furthermore, the term "transitory recording medium" refers to the transmission medium (propagation signal) itself. Examples of temporary recording media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. A temporary storage area is an area for temporarily storing data and programs, such as volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory). [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information providing device, an information providing method, and a program that can encourage a person being watched over to become active. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between an information providing device and an information terminal. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an information providing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of activity record information. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a condition list. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an activity reporting process, an activity registration process, and an activity viewing process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example on an information terminal. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a browsing request process and an activity content providing process. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example on an information terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] (Overall composition) An information providing device, an information providing method, and a program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 1, an information providing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is communicatively connected to an information terminal 200 via a computer communication network 300 such as the Internet. The information terminals 200 in this embodiment include an information terminal 200 owned by a primary user who is the subject of an activity, and an information terminal 200 owned by a secondary user who views the primary user's activity details. Here, the primary user is, for example, a user being watched over (e.g., an elderly person). The secondary user is, for example, a user watching over (e.g., the elderly person's child). The user of each information terminal 200 sets information indicating whether they are the primary user or the secondary user using publicly known technology, and the information providing device 100 stores the set information. Each information terminal 200 is also equipped with an acceleration sensor and a geomagnetic sensor, and these sensors are used to count the number of steps taken by the user of each information terminal 200 using publicly known methods. In this embodiment, the following description will be given taking as an example a case where the number of steps taken in a day is registered in the information providing device 100 as the activity of the primary user, and a secondary user previously associated with the primary user views the primary user's number of steps as activity details. Note that multiple secondary users may be associated with one primary user, and with regard to the relationship between the primary user and secondary users, for example, in a situation where user A, user a, and user b are associated with each other (for example, in a friend relationship or parent-child relationship), when user A is the primary user, user a and user b are secondary users, but when user a is the primary user, user A and user b are secondary users. In other words, each user can be both a primary user and a secondary user.

[0017] The information providing device 100 is a computer such as a server. The information providing device 100 has the function of registering the activities of the primary user and providing the activity details to the secondary user. Furthermore, when the secondary user requests to view the primary user's activity details, the information providing device 100 has the function of notifying the primary user's information terminal 200 that the secondary user has requested an activity, if the elapsed time from the primary user's most recent activity report (transmission of the activity details) to the present satisfies a predetermined condition, thereby encouraging the primary user to take action.

[0018] The information terminal 200 is an information terminal (so-called computer) such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC (Personal Computer) used by the primary user and secondary user. The primary user's information terminal 200 in this embodiment has a function for reporting activities by registering the details of its own activities in the information providing device 100. The secondary user's information terminal 200 in this embodiment also has a function for sending a viewing request to view the details of the primary user's activities.

[0019] (Functional configuration of information providing device) Next, the configuration of the information providing device 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the information providing device 100 includes a storage unit 110, a control unit 120, an input / output unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a system bus (not shown) that interconnects these units.

[0021] The storage unit 110 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. The storage unit 110 such as a ROM stores a program 111 to be executed by the control unit 120, various data (not shown) required in advance for executing the program 111, activity record information 112, and a condition list 113.

[0022] The program 111 is a program for executing an activity registration process and an activity content providing process, which will be described later, and is stored in the storage unit 110 in advance.

[0023] The activity record information 112 is a list of registered information, including activity records recording the activity details of each primary user and viewing records of the activity records of secondary users associated with the primary user. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , the activity record information 112 includes at least the primary user, secondary users associated with the primary user, activity records indicating the primary user's activity dates and activity details, viewing information indicating whether the secondary users have viewed the primary user's activity records, and action information indicating whether the secondary users have performed an action, such as "Like," on the primary user's activity records. An example of an action here is selecting the "Like" button displayed alongside the primary user's activity record when viewing the primary user's activity record information. In this embodiment, the activity record information 112 is registered by executing the activity registration process and activity viewing process described below. The secondary users associated with the primary user are registered in advance based on operations performed on each information terminal 200 by the primary user or secondary users. In addition, in this embodiment, the activity record information 112 is shown as being stored in the memory unit 110 of the information providing device 100, but it may also be stored in a database server connected to the information providing device 100 via a computer communication network 300.

[0024] Returning to FIG. 2, the condition list 113 is a list of conditions for notifying the primary user that the secondary user has made an activity request when the secondary user makes a viewing request. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the condition list 113 in this embodiment has three conditions, Condition 1 to Condition 3, and the primary user can select one of these conditions. As shown in the figure, Condition 1 is "All activities up to the most recent activity have been viewed, and 10 or more days have passed since the most recent activity registration date," Condition 2 is "All activities up to the most recent activity have been viewed, and 2 or more weeks have passed since the most recent activity registration date," and Condition 3 is "All activities up to the most recent activity have been viewed, and 4 or more weeks have passed since the most recent activity registration date." In other words, Condition 1 is met if the secondary user has viewed all of the primary user's activities for which activity reports (transmission of activity details) have been submitted to the information providing device 100, and 10 or more days have passed since the most recent activity report date (activity details registration date, i.e., activity record date) submitted by the primary user. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which one of conditions 1 to 3 is selected, but multiple conditions may be selected. When multiple conditions are set, the notification to the primary user that an activity request has been made by the secondary user may be different depending on which condition is met. For example, when condition 1 is met, only a push notification may be sent, while when condition 2 is met, an email may be sent in addition to the push notification, and when condition 3 is met, an SMS (short message service) may be sent in addition to the push notification and email. In the illustrated example, the condition includes "all activities up to the most recent activity have been viewed," but is not limited to this. For example, the condition may be "at least the most recent activity has been viewed," rather than all activities.

[0025] Furthermore, although this embodiment shows an example in which three conditions, Condition 1 to Condition 3, are set, the number of conditions can be changed as desired. Furthermore, the latest activity registration date for each of Conditions 1 to 3 shown in Condition List 113 may be the date and time when the main user actually performed the activity, or the date and time when the activity report was received (activity registration date and time). Furthermore, it may also be the date and time when the secondary user viewed the activity record of the main user.

[0026] 2 is configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. The control unit 120 operates in accordance with a program 111 stored in the storage unit 110, and executes processing in accordance with the program 111. The control unit 120 includes, as main functional units provided by the program 111 stored in the storage unit 110, an activity report acquisition unit 121, an action information acquisition unit 122, an activity report etc. registration unit 123, a view request acquisition unit 124, a condition determination unit 125, and an activity request transmission unit 126.

[0027] The activity report acquisition unit 121 is a functional unit that acquires an activity report from the primary user's information terminal 200. Specifically, the activity report acquisition unit 121 has a function of acquiring activity content information (activity record) transmitted based on the primary user's operation on the information terminal 200. The activity content information may be transmitted from the primary user's information terminal 200 to the information providing device 100, for example, when the primary user launches an application or when the primary user closes the application. The activity content information also includes information indicating the date of the activity and the activity content, such as "5000 steps on January 1, 2025."

[0028] The action information acquisition unit 122 is a functional unit that acquires actions by secondary users that evaluate their activities toward the primary user. Specifically, the action information acquisition unit 122 is a functional unit that acquires action information transmitted when a secondary user who has viewed the primary user's activity record performs an operation such as pressing the "Like" button on the information terminal 200. The action information acquisition unit 122 is an example of a view information acquisition unit. The action information includes at least information identifying the secondary user, activity identification information identifying the viewed activity record, view information indicating the viewing, and action execution information indicating the action taken.

[0029] The activity report etc. registration unit 123 is a functional unit that registers activity details performed by the primary user. Specifically, the activity report etc. registration unit 123 has a function of registering activity detail information corresponding to the primary user, acquired by the activity report acquisition unit 121, in the activity record information 112 as the primary user's activity record. For example, if the activity report acquisition unit 121 acquires activity detail information indicating that primary user A took 5,000 steps on January 1, the activity report etc. registration unit 123 registers an activity record indicating that primary user A walked 5,000 steps on January 1 in the activity record information 112, as shown in FIG. 3 . The activity report etc. registration unit 123 also has a function of registering content indicated by action information acquired by the action information acquisition unit 122 in the activity record information 112. Specifically, the activity report etc. registration unit 123 has a function of registering the secondary user's viewing information and action execution information indicated by the action information in association with the primary user's activity indicated by the activity identification information in the activity record information 112. For example, if the action information acquisition unit 122 acquires action information indicating that secondary user A viewed the activity of 5,000 steps on 1 / 1 of primary user A and pressed the "Like" button, the activity report etc. registration unit 123 will register information indicating that secondary user A viewed the activity record indicating that secondary user A walked 5,000 steps on 1 / 1 corresponding to primary user A and performed the "Like" action in the activity record information 112, as shown in Fig. 3. The activity report etc. registration unit 123 also has the function of identifying the corresponding secondary user based on the registration of the activity content of the primary user in the activity record information 112, and notifying the secondary user that a report has been made.

[0030] The viewing request acquisition unit 124 is a functional unit that acquires a viewing request for an activity record corresponding to the corresponding primary user from the secondary user's information terminal 200. Specifically, the viewing request acquisition unit 124 has a function to acquire a viewing request transmitted in response to an operation performed by the secondary user on the information terminal 200. The viewing request may be transmitted to the information providing device 100, for example, by the secondary user launching an application. Alternatively, the viewing request may be transmitted by pressing a viewing request transmission button. The viewing request includes at least information identifying the secondary user and information identifying the primary user.

[0031] The condition determination unit 125 is a functional unit that determines whether a pre-selected condition in the condition list 113 stored in the storage unit 110 is met based on the activity content information of the primary user and the viewing information. That is, the condition determination unit 125 is a functional unit that determines whether the content of the activity content information and the viewing status indicated by the viewing information meet a pre-set condition. Specifically, when the condition determination unit 125 acquires a viewing request using the function of the viewing request acquisition unit 124, it identifies the date and time of the viewing request. Next, the condition determination unit 125 references the activity record information 112 and determines whether the condition is met based on the date and time the viewing request was acquired using the function of the viewing request acquisition unit 124 and the pre-selected condition in the condition list 113. For example, if condition 1 is selected in the condition list 113 shown in FIG. 4, the condition determination unit 125 references the activity record information 112 and determines whether the secondary user who has made the viewing request has already viewed all of the activity records of the target primary user. If the secondary user making the view request has already viewed all of the primary user's activity records, the condition determination unit 125 determines that the condition is met when the view request acquisition unit 124 acquires the view request on April 10 and the most recent activity report (activity registration date) submitted by the primary user is March 5 (see the activity record of primary user B in FIG. 3 ). Since the elapsed time from the most recent activity report (activity registration date) submitted by the primary user to the present is 10 days or more, the condition determination unit 125 determines that the condition is met. As described above, the condition determination unit 125 determines whether the condition is met based on whether the secondary user's viewing status indicates that they have viewed all of the primary user's activity details to date and on a pre-selected condition in the condition list 113. That is, the condition determination unit 125 references the activity record information 112 to determine whether the set condition (any of the conditions in the condition list 113) is met.

[0032] The activity request sending unit 126 is a functional unit that sends an activity request to encourage the primary user to engage in activity. Specifically, when the condition determining unit 125 determines that the condition is met, the activity request sending unit 126 sends an activity request to the primary user (primary user's information terminal 200) identified by the viewing request. The activity request includes information identifying the secondary user who sent the viewing request and the primary user to whom the activity request is made, such as, for example, "Secondary user 1 is looking forward to primary user B's activity report."

[0033] The input / output unit 130 is a device that is configured with a keyboard, a mouse, a camera, a microphone, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and the like, and is used to input and output various types of data.

[0034] The communication unit 140 is a device that enables the information providing apparatus 100 to communicate with other information terminals such as the information terminal 200 via the computer communication network 300. The configuration of the information providing apparatus 100 has been described above.

[0035] (operation) Next, the operation of the information providing device 100 and the information terminal 200 will be described. Figure 5 is a flow chart showing an example of an activity record reporting process in the information terminal 200 of the primary user, an activity registration process in the information providing device 100, and an activity viewing process in the information terminal 200 of the secondary user. By performing the activity reporting process and activity registration process in this embodiment, the activity record is registered as the content of the activity record information 112 stored in the storage unit 110. First, the activity reporting process shown in Figure 5 is started based on an operation on the information terminal 200 by the primary user, such as starting an application.

[0036] When the activity report process begins, the primary user's information terminal 200 first acquires activity details (step S11). Specifically, in the process of step S11, the primary user's information terminal 200 acquires the primary user's date and step count information from a data-linked application that records the primary user's activity details (an application that records the primary user's activity details in the background). Note that in the process of step S11, for example, if an application is launched on January 1 and January 5, when the application is launched on January 5, the step count from January 2 to January 5 can be acquired. In other words, the primary user's activity details from the previous launch to the current launch can be acquired. Furthermore, if there is no data link with the application that records activity details, or if there is no application that records activity details, in the process of step S11, for example, the primary user's step count from the time the application is launched until it is closed can be measured by the application (measurement of the primary user's activity details in the foreground).

[0037] After executing the process of step S11, the information terminal 200 of the primary user reports the activity details (step S12) and ends the activity report process. Specifically, in the process of step S12, the activity details acquired in the process of step S11 are transmitted to the information providing device 100 as activity details information. The activity details information includes information that identifies the primary user in addition to the activity details acquired in the process of step S11.

[0038] On the information providing device 100 side, activity registration processing is initiated based on the receipt of the activity content information. When the activity registration processing is initiated, the control unit 120 acquires the activity content information received by the communication unit 140 using the function of the activity report acquisition unit 121, and registers the activity content indicated by the acquired activity content information using the function of the activity report etc. registration unit 123 (step S13). Specifically, in the processing of step S13, if the activity report etc. registration unit 123 acquires activity content information indicating that the primary user A took 5,000 steps on 1 / 1, as shown in FIG. 3, it registers an activity record indicating that the primary user A walked 5,000 steps on 1 / 1 in the activity record information 112 as an activity record corresponding to the primary user A. Note that when the processing of step S13 is executed, the registration result is transmitted to the information terminal 200 of the primary user. Then, the registration result is displayed on the primary user's information terminal 200 side, as shown on the left side of FIG. 6. In the illustrated example, activity details including 9,900 steps walked on March 6th and 8,700 steps walked on March 5th are registered. In addition, in the processing of step S13, for example, the number of steps (remaining amount) until a preset mission is completed is calculated, and this content is also displayed as a registration result. Specifically, this example shows a case where the mission is 100,000 steps, and the remaining number of steps is 80,000 steps after this registration.

[0039] 5, the control unit 120 uses the function of the activity report etc. registration unit 123 to identify the secondary user corresponding to the primary user (step S14). Specifically, in the processing of step S14, the activity report etc. registration unit 123 identifies the secondary user corresponding to the primary user who is the subject of the activity record registered in the processing of step S13. As mentioned above, the correspondence between the primary user and secondary user in this embodiment is registered in advance based on operations on each information terminal 200 by the primary user or secondary user.

[0040] After executing the process of step S14, the control unit 120 performs an activity notification using the function of the activity report etc. registration unit 123 (step S15). Specifically, in the process of step S15, the activity report etc. registration unit 123 notifies each secondary user identified in the process of step S14 by sending an activity notification to the information terminal 200 of that user that the primary user has registered the activity details, i.e., submitted an activity report. In this embodiment, the activity notification may be performed by push notification. The activity notification may be sent by email or by SMS. The activity notification by email may be, for example, an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) email linked to a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) scheme for launching an application. Clicking on the URL launches the application and allows the primary user to view the activity details.

[0041] The secondary user's information terminal 200 receives the activity notification and starts the activity viewing process when the secondary user presses the activity notification. When the activity viewing process starts, the secondary user's information terminal 200 displays the activity record of the primary user corresponding to the activity notification, and the secondary user views the activity details (step S16). Specifically, in the process of step S16, the secondary user's information terminal 200 launches an application in response to the secondary user pressing the activity notification button, and displays the activity record of the primary user corresponding to the activity notification, allowing the secondary user to view the activity details. For example, the display screen shown on the right side of Figure 6 can be displayed on the information terminal 200, allowing the secondary user to view the activity details.

[0042] After the process of step S16 shown in FIG. 5 is executed, the secondary user's information terminal 200 performs a "Like action" (step S17), which is an action to evaluate the activity of the primary user based on the secondary user's operation on the information terminal 200, and the activity viewing process ends. Specifically, in the process of step S17, the information terminal 200 transmits action information to the information providing device 100 based on the pressing of the "Like" button as shown on the right side of FIG. 6. As described above, the action information includes at least information identifying the secondary user, activity identification information identifying the activity record viewed, viewing information indicating the viewing, and action execution information indicating the action taken. Note that a "Like" action may be performed for each activity on each date. By executing the process of step S17, the control unit 120 of the information providing device 100 acquires action information including the viewing information. In this way, the control unit 120 acquiring the viewing information included in the action information and the step of acquiring the viewing information correspond to the viewing information acquisition unit and the viewing information acquisition step, respectively.

[0043] When the information providing device 100 receives the action information, the control unit 120 uses the function of the activity report etc. registration unit 123 to register the content indicated by the action information in the activity record information 112 (step S18), and terminates the activity registration process. Specifically, in the processing of step S18, when the "Like" button shown on the right side of Fig. 6 is pressed by secondary user a, the activity report etc. registration unit 123 registers viewing information corresponding to the activity including March 6th and March 5th corresponding to primary user A, and action execution information indicating that an action has been taken, in the activity record information 112 (viewed and Like for primary user A and secondary user a shown in Fig. 3).

[0044] In this way, the contents of the activity record information 112 are registered by executing a series of processes, such as the activity record reporting process on the primary user's information terminal 200, the activity registration process on the information providing device 100, and the activity viewing process on the secondary user's information terminal 200. Next, we will explain the process when an activity request from the primary user is sent based on a request from the secondary user.

[0045] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a view request process in the secondary user's information terminal 200 and an activity content provision process in the information providing device 100. First, the view request process shown in FIG. 7 is started based on an operation on the information terminal 200 by the secondary user, such as launching an application.

[0046] When the viewing request process begins, the secondary user's information terminal 200 first transmits a viewing request (step S21). Specifically, in step S21, the secondary user's information terminal 200 transmits a viewing request to the information providing device 100, requesting viewing of the activity record of the primary user associated with the secondary user. The viewing request includes at least information identifying the secondary user and information identifying the primary user.

[0047] On the information providing device 100 side, the activity content providing process is started based on the reception of the viewing request. When the activity content providing process is started, the control unit 120 acquires the viewing information received by the communication unit 140 using the function of the viewing request acquisition unit 124, and confirms the activity content (step S22). Specifically, in the process of step S22, the control unit 120 confirms the activity content (activity record) of the primary user specified by the acquired viewing request by referring to the activity record information 112 stored in the memory unit 110.

[0048] After executing the process of step S22, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the condition is met using the function of the condition determination unit 125 (step S23). Specifically, in the process of step S23, the condition determination unit 125 references the activity record information 112 and determines whether or not the condition is met based on the date and time the viewing request was received and the condition pre-selected in the condition list 113. For example, if condition 1 is selected in the condition list 113 shown in FIG. 4 and the secondary user has viewed all of the primary user's activities to date, and the date and time the viewing request was received is April 10 and the date of the most recent activity report (activity registration date) made by the primary user is March 5 (see the activity record of primary user B shown in FIG. 3), then the period of time that has elapsed since the most recent activity report (activity registration date) made by the primary user to the present is 10 days or more, and therefore the condition determination unit 125 determines in the process of step S23 that the condition is met. On the other hand, when condition 1 is selected from the condition list 113 shown in Fig. 4, if the date and time when the viewing request was received is March 7 and the most recent activity report date (activity registration date) made by the main user is March 6 (see the activity record of main user A shown in Fig. 3), the condition determination unit 125 determines in the processing of step S23 that the condition is not met because the period that has elapsed since the most recent activity report date (activity registration date) made by the main user to the present is less than 10 days. That is, in the processing of step S23, the condition determination unit 125 determines whether the set condition (any of the conditions in the condition list 113) is met by referring to the activity record information 112.

[0049] 7, if it is determined that the condition is not met (step S23; No), the control unit 120 uses the function of the activity report etc. registration unit 123 to provide the activity content of the primary user identified by the viewing request to the secondary user (step S24), and terminates the activity content providing process. Specifically, in the processing of step S24, the activity report etc. registration unit 123 obtains the activity record of the primary user identified by the viewing request from the activity record information 112 stored in the memory unit 110, and transmits it as activity content information to the information terminal 200 that sent the viewing request.

[0050] Upon receiving the activity content information, the secondary user's information terminal 200 views the activity content of the primary user, performs a "Like" action to evaluate the primary user's activity, and terminates the view request process, similar to the processes of steps S16 and S17 in the activity viewing process shown in Figure 5. After the Like action is performed in the process of step S17, the process of step S18 shown in Figure 5 is performed, and the content indicated by the action information is registered in the activity record information 112, although this is not shown.

[0051] On the other hand, if it is determined in the processing of step S23 of FIG. 7 that the condition is not met (step S23; No), the control unit 120 uses the function of the activity request sending unit 126 to send an activity request to the primary user (step S25). Specifically, in the processing of step S25, the activity request sending unit 126 sends an activity request request to the information terminal 200 of the primary user identified by the viewing request, notifying the information terminal 200 of the primary user that an activity request has been made by the secondary user. For example, if secondary user 1 sends a viewing request corresponding to primary user B on April 10, in the processing of step S25, the activity request sending unit 126 sends a push notification to the information terminal 200 of primary user B as an activity request request, such as "Secondary user 1 is looking forward to primary user B's activity report," as shown in FIG. 8. The activity request request may be sent by email or SMS. An activity request via email is sent, for example, as an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) email and is linked to a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) scheme for launching an application, and when the primary user clicks on the URL, the application launches, enabling the primary user to report on their activity. In this way, by sending a push notification, the primary user can confirm the activity request without launching an application on their information terminal 200, and activities can be promoted without launching an application.

[0052] The above is the operation of information providing device 100 and information terminal 200. As described above, information providing device 100 in this embodiment allows the secondary user to encourage the primary user to take action if the primary user has not submitted an activity report for a certain period of time. This allows the watcher to encourage the person being watched to take action. Furthermore, since the request to the primary user who has not submitted an activity report for a certain period of time is made on the assumption that the secondary user has viewed all of the primary user's activities to date, this encourages activity on the basis of a close relationship between the primary user and the secondary user, further increasing the primary user's motivation to take action.

[0053] (Variation) It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible. For example, the information providing device 100 and the information terminal 200 according to the above-described embodiments do not need to have all of the technical features described above, but may have some of the configurations described in the above-described embodiments so as to solve at least one problem in the prior art. Furthermore, at least a portion of each of the following modifications may be combined.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the secondary user has viewed all of the primary user's activities to date, and if the primary user has not submitted an activity report for a certain period of time, the secondary user prompts the primary user to take more action. However, this is merely an example. Alternatively, if the primary user has previously set a standard of 8,000 steps per day, and the primary user's activity report indicates that the primary user has taken 5,000 steps, the secondary user may issue a notification prompting the primary user to take the remaining 3,000 steps. In other words, a condition such as being below a standard value may be set as a condition indicated in the condition list 113.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the secondary user monitors the activities of the primary user, and if the primary user has not been active for a certain period of time, an activity request request is sent to the primary user based on the secondary user's viewing request. However, this is merely an example. For example, the information providing device 100 can also be applied to cases where a group, including the primary user and secondary users, completes a step count mission that specifies the total number of steps the group must take. For example, if the group's step count mission is to walk 500,000 steps as a whole, a user who steps a lot can send an activity request request to a user who steps a little. In this case, the user who steps a lot may be able to indicate the number of steps they would like the user who steps a little to walk. The number of steps required to complete the step count mission may also be indicated.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the number of steps taken per day is registered in the information providing device 100 as the primary user's activity, but this is merely an example. The primary user's activity is not limited to the number of steps taken, and may be, for example, study time or training time. For example, when managing the study time of students at a cram school, the students may be designated as primary users and the cram school instructor as secondary users, and they may view the daily study time and send a report request request if a study report has not been submitted for a certain period of time. Furthermore, a student at a sports gym may be designated as a primary user and an instructor as secondary users, and a report request request may be sent if a report on exercise or diet has not been submitted for a certain period of time.

[0057] The information providing device 100 and the information terminal 200 according to the above-described embodiments can be realized using a normal computer, not a dedicated device. For example, the information providing device 100 that executes the above-described processes may be configured by installing a program for executing any of the above-described processes on a computer from a recording medium storing the program. Also, one information providing device 100 and one information terminal 200 may be configured by multiple computers operating in cooperation with each other.

[0058] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned functions are realized by sharing the functions between an OS (Operating System) and an application, or by cooperation between the OS and the application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the medium.

[0059] It is also possible to superimpose the program on a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the program may be posted on a bulletin board system (BBS) on the communication network and distributed via the network. These programs may then be started and run under the control of an operating system in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-mentioned processing to be performed.

[0060] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0061] (Appendix 1) an activity content acquisition unit that acquires activity content information indicating the activity content of the main user; a browsing information acquisition unit that acquires browsing information of secondary users corresponding to the activity content of the main user; an activity report etc. registration unit that registers the activity content information of the primary user acquired by the activity content acquisition unit and the browsing information acquired by the browsing information acquisition unit in a storage unit; a view request acquisition unit that acquires a view request from the secondary user to view the activity content information of the primary user; a condition determination unit that determines whether the content of the activity content information of the primary user specified by the viewing request acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit and the viewing state indicated by the viewing information satisfy a preset condition; an activity request sending unit that sends an activity request to the information terminal of the primary user to encourage the primary user to take action when the condition determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is met; An information providing device comprising:

[0062] (Appendix 2) The activity content information of the primary user includes at least the date on which the primary user performed the activity and the activity content; The condition determination unit determines whether the preset condition is satisfied based on a period from the date and time when the activity content information of the primary user is registered by the activity report etc. registration unit to the date and time when the viewing request is acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit. 10. The information providing device according to claim 1.

[0063] (Appendix 3) The condition determination unit determines that the preset condition is satisfied when all of the activity content information of the main user registered by the activity report etc. registration unit has been viewed, and the period from the date and time when the activity content information of the main user was registered by the activity report etc. registration unit to the date and time when the viewing request was acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit exceeds a preset elapsed period. 3. The information providing device according to claim 2.

[0064] (Appendix 4) the activity request sending unit sends the content of the activity request request to the information terminal of the primary user in a display mode that does not require the launch of an application on the information terminal of the primary user and is viewable by the primary user; 4. The information providing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3.

[0065] (Appendix 5) The activity report registration unit calculates a remaining amount of the primary user to a preset activity goal based on the activity content indicated by the activity content information of the primary user acquired by the activity content acquisition unit, the activity request sending unit sends the activity request request to the information terminal of the primary user, the activity request request including the remaining amount up to the activity goal; 5. The information providing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 4.

[0066] (Appendix 6) An information providing method by an information providing device, an activity content acquisition step of acquiring activity content information indicating the activity content of the main user; a browsing information acquisition step of acquiring browsing information of secondary users corresponding to the activity content of the main user; an activity report etc. registration step of registering the activity content information of the main user acquired in the activity content acquisition step and the browsing information acquired in the browsing information acquisition step in a storage unit; a view request acquisition step of acquiring a view request from the secondary user to view the activity content information of the primary user; a condition determination step of determining whether or not the content of the activity content information of the primary user specified by the viewing request acquired in the viewing request acquisition step and the viewing state indicated by the viewing information satisfy a preset condition; an activity request sending step of sending an activity request to the information terminal of the primary user to encourage the primary user to take action when it is determined in the condition determining step that the preset condition is met; An information providing method comprising:

[0067] (Appendix 7) Computer, an activity content acquisition unit that acquires activity content information indicating the activity content of the main user; a browsing information acquisition unit that acquires browsing information of secondary users corresponding to the activity content of the main user; an activity report etc. registration unit that registers the activity content information of the main user acquired by the activity content acquisition unit and the browsing information acquired by the browsing information acquisition unit in a storage unit; a view request acquisition unit that acquires a view request from the secondary user to view the activity content information of the primary user; a condition determination unit that determines whether or not the content of the activity content information of the primary user specified by the viewing request acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit and the viewing state indicated by the viewing information satisfy a preset condition; an activity request sending unit that sends an activity request to the information terminal of the primary user to encourage the primary user to take action when the condition determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is met; A program that functions as a

[0068] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of equivalent disclosures are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0069] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information providing device, an information providing method, and a program that can encourage a person being watched over to become active. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 100 Information provision device 110 Storage section 111 Program 112 Activity Record Information 113 Conditions List 120 control section 121 Activity Report Acquisition Department 122 Action information acquisition unit 123 Activity Report Registration Department 124 Viewing request acquisition unit 125 Condition judgment section 126 Activity Request Transmission Department 130 Input / output section 140 Communications Department 200 Information terminal 300 Computer Communication Network

Claims

1. an activity content acquisition unit that acquires activity content information indicating the activity content of the main user; a browsing information acquisition unit that acquires browsing information of secondary users corresponding to the activity content of the main user; an activity report etc. registration unit that registers the activity content information of the primary user acquired by the activity content acquisition unit and the browsing information acquired by the browsing information acquisition unit in a storage unit; a view request acquisition unit that acquires a view request from the secondary user to view the activity content information of the primary user; a condition determination unit that determines whether the content of the activity content information of the primary user specified by the viewing request acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit and the viewing state indicated by the viewing information satisfy a preset condition; an activity request sending unit that sends an activity request to the information terminal of the primary user to encourage the primary user to take action when the condition determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is met; An information providing device comprising:

2. The activity content information of the primary user includes at least the date on which the primary user performed the activity and the activity content; The condition determination unit determines whether the preset condition is satisfied based on a period from the date and time when the activity content information of the primary user is registered by the activity report etc. registration unit to the date and time when the viewing request is acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit. The information providing device according to claim 1 .

3. The condition determination unit determines that the preset condition is satisfied when all of the activity content information of the main user registered by the activity report etc. registration unit has been viewed, and the period from the date and time when the activity content information of the main user was registered by the activity report etc. registration unit to the date and time when the viewing request was acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit exceeds a preset elapsed period. The information providing device according to claim 2 .

4. the activity request sending unit sends the content of the activity request request to the information terminal of the primary user in a display mode that does not require the launch of an application on the information terminal of the primary user and is viewable by the primary user; 4. The information providing device according to claim 1.

5. The activity report registration unit calculates a remaining amount of the primary user to a preset activity goal based on the activity content indicated by the activity content information of the primary user acquired by the activity content acquisition unit, the activity request sending unit sends the activity request request to the information terminal of the primary user, the activity request request including the remaining amount up to the activity goal; 4. The information providing device according to claim 1.

6. An information providing method by an information providing device, an activity content acquisition step of acquiring activity content information indicating the activity content of the main user; a browsing information acquisition step of acquiring browsing information of secondary users corresponding to the activity content of the main user; an activity report etc. registration step of registering the activity content information of the main user acquired in the activity content acquisition step and the browsing information acquired in the browsing information acquisition step in a storage unit; a view request acquisition step of acquiring a view request from the secondary user to view the activity content information of the primary user; a condition determination step of determining whether or not the content of the activity content information of the primary user specified by the viewing request acquired in the viewing request acquisition step and the viewing state indicated by the viewing information satisfy a preset condition; an activity request sending step of sending an activity request to the information terminal of the primary user to encourage the primary user to take action when it is determined in the condition determining step that the preset condition is met; An information providing method comprising:

7. Computer, an activity content acquisition unit that acquires activity content information indicating the activity content of the main user; a browsing information acquisition unit that acquires browsing information of secondary users corresponding to the activity content of the main user; an activity report etc. registration unit that registers the activity content information of the main user acquired by the activity content acquisition unit and the browsing information acquired by the browsing information acquisition unit in a storage unit; a view request acquisition unit that acquires a view request from the secondary user to view the activity content information of the primary user; a condition determination unit that determines whether or not the content of the activity content information of the primary user specified by the viewing request acquired by the viewing request acquisition unit and the viewing state indicated by the viewing information satisfy a preset condition; an activity request sending unit that sends an activity request to the information terminal of the primary user to encourage the primary user to take action when the condition determining unit determines that the predetermined condition is met; A program that functions as a

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