Information processing system

Abstract

To obtain an information processing device, an information processing system, and an information processing program capable of presenting alcoholic beverages that suit the user's preferences. [Solution] The information processing device 20 includes a processor, and when the processor receives user data which includes at least one of the following: alcohol product evaluation data relating to brands the user has drunk in the past and the user's evaluation of those brands; sensory preference data relating to the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages; snack data relating to snacks the user plans to eat while drinking; favorite food data relating to the user's favorite foods; disliked food data relating to foods the user dislikes; and attribute data indicating the user's attributes, the processor uses a pre-trained model that has been trained to output suitable alcoholic beverage data relating to one or more types of alcoholic beverages that are suited to the user's preferences, and by inputting new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages into the pre-trained model, the processor estimates suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to the new user data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention , love relates to an information Mu processing system.

Background Art

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to an information processing apparatus that provides information on alcoholic beverages suitable for a dish together with recipe information of the dish that meets the conditions desired by a user.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the above prior art provides information on alcoholic beverages suitable for a dish on the premise of a dish that meets the conditions desired by a user, and does not mainly present alcoholic beverages that match the user's preferences.

[0005] In consideration of the above fact, an object of the present invention is to be able to present alcoholic beverages that match the user's preferences na in an information Mu processing system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The first embodiment of the information processing device includes a processor, which, upon input of user data including at least one of the following: alcohol product evaluation data relating to brands the user has drunk in the past and the user's evaluation of those brands; sensory preference data relating to the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages; snack data relating to snacks the user plans to eat while drinking; favorite food data relating to the user's favorite foods; disliked food data relating to foods the user dislikes; and attribute data indicating the user's attributes, uses a pre-trained model that has been trained to output suitable alcoholic beverage data relating to one or more types of alcoholic beverages blended to suit the user's preferences, and estimates suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to the new user data by inputting new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages into the pre-trained model.

[0007] According to the information processing device of the first embodiment, the processor of the information processing device takes user data as input, which includes at least one of the following: alcohol product evaluation data relating to brands the user has drunk in the past and the user's evaluation of those brands; sensory preference data relating to the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages; snack data relating to snacks the user plans to eat while drinking; favorite food data relating to the user's favorite foods; disliked food data relating to foods the user dislikes; and attribute data indicating the user's attributes. Using a pre-trained model that has been trained in advance to output suitable alcoholic beverage data relating to one or more types of alcoholic beverages that are suited to the user's preferences, the processor estimates suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to the new user data by inputting new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages into the pre-trained model, thereby making it possible to present alcoholic beverages that are suited to the user's preferences.

[0008] In the second embodiment of the information processing device, the user data further includes restaurant data relating to the characteristics of the restaurant the user has entered.

[0009] According to the second embodiment of the information processing device, the user data further includes restaurant data relating to the characteristics of the restaurant the user has entered, making it possible to present the user with alcoholic beverages that take into account the characteristics of the restaurant they have entered.

[0010] In the third embodiment of the information processing device, in the first embodiment or the second embodiment, the alcoholic beverage blended of one or more types is a blend of one brand of sake or multiple brands of sake.

[0011] According to the third embodiment of the information processing device, it is possible to present a single brand of sake or a blend of multiple brands of sake that is suited to the user's preferences.

[0012] The fourth embodiment of the information processing system comprises an information processing device described in any one of the first to third embodiments, a user terminal connected to the information processing device via a network, and a supply control device connected to the information processing device via a network and controlling the supply of alcoholic beverages in an alcoholic beverage dispenser capable of supplying one or more types of alcoholic beverages blended together, wherein the information processing device estimates suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to the new user data when it acquires new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages by input from the user terminal, transmits the estimation result to the supply control device of the alcoholic beverage dispenser used by the user using the user terminal, and the supply control device controls the alcoholic beverage dispenser so that it supplies the suitable alcoholic beverage indicated by the estimation result when it receives the estimation result from the information processing device.

[0013] Furthermore, the phrase "when new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages is obtained by input from the user terminal" in the fourth aspect includes not only the case where all of the new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages is input from the user terminal and thus new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages is obtained, but also the case where a portion of the new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages is input from the user terminal and so a portion of that new user data is obtained, and the remainder of the new user data is obtained from a database or the like based on the data input from the user terminal.

[0014] According to the information processing system of the fourth embodiment, a user terminal and a supply control device are connected via a network to the information processing device described in any one of the first to third embodiments. When the information processing device acquires new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages through input from the user terminal, it estimates suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to the new user data and transmits the estimation result to the supply control device of the alcoholic beverage dispenser used by the user using the user terminal. Furthermore, when the supply control device receives the estimation result from the information processing device, it controls the alcoholic beverage dispenser so that the alcoholic beverage dispenser supplies the suitable alcoholic beverage indicated by the estimation result. This makes it possible to actually supply alcoholic beverages that match the user's preferences.

[0015] The fifth embodiment of the information processing program takes user data as input, which includes at least one of the following: alcohol product evaluation data relating to brands the user has drunk in the past and the user's evaluation of those brands; sensory preference data relating to the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages; snack data relating to snacks the user plans to eat while drinking; favorite food data relating to the user's favorite foods; disliked food data relating to foods the user dislikes; and attribute data indicating the user's attributes. The program then inputs new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages into a pre-trained model that has been trained to output suitable alcoholic beverage data relating to one or more types of alcoholic beverages blended to suit the user's preferences, thereby causing the computer to estimate suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to the new user data. As a result, by executing the fourth embodiment of the information processing program, the computer can present alcoholic beverages that suit the user's preferences, similar to the information processing device of the first embodiment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The present invention has the excellent effect of making it possible to present alcoholic beverages that suit the user's preferences. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This figure shows a schematic configuration of the information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a supply control device. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a pre-trained neural network model. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the learning process. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of the estimation and transmission process.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] An information processing system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 10 includes an information processing device 20, a user terminal 30, and a supply control device 50. The user terminal 30 and the supply control device 50 are communicably connected to the information processing device 20 via a network N such as the Internet.

[0020] The information processing device 20 is a server on the cloud. As an example, a case where it is composed of a single computer is illustrated, but it may be composed of a plurality of computers. The user terminal 30 is a terminal device used by a user, and is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet. The supply control device 50 controls the supply of alcoholic beverages in an alcoholic beverage dispenser 40 capable of supplying one type or a mixture of a plurality of types of alcoholic beverages. The alcoholic beverage dispenser 40 and the supply control device 50 are arranged in a restaurant 60. In FIG. 1, the user terminal 30 indicates a terminal device possessed by a user who has entered the restaurant 60 or a tablet terminal temporarily lent to the user by the restaurant 60 side. Also, as an example, a QR code (registered trademark), which is an information code readable by the user terminal 30, is displayed in the restaurant 60.

[0021] FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 20 in a block diagram. As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 20 has components such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21 as a processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, a storage 24, an input unit 25, a display unit 26, and a communication interface (abbreviated as "communication I / F" in FIG. 2) 27. Each component is communicably connected to each other via a bus 28.

[0022] The hardware configuration of the user terminal 30 shown in Figure 1 is a known configuration and therefore is omitted from the illustration. The user terminal 30 has a CPU, ROM, RAM, storage, input unit, display unit, and communication interface. Each component is connected to the others via a bus so that they can communicate with each other.

[0023] Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the supply control device 50 in a block diagram. As shown in Figure 3, the supply control device 50 has the following components: CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, storage 54, display unit 56, and communication interface (abbreviated as "communication I / F" in Figure 3) 57. Each component is connected to the others so as to be able to communicate with each other via a bus 58.

[0024] The ROMs 22 and 52 shown in Figures 2 and 3 store various programs and data. The RAMs 23 and 53 temporarily store programs or data as a working area. The storages 24 and 54 are composed of HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) or SSDs (Solid State Drives), etc., and store various programs and data. The CPUs 21 and 51 are central processing units that execute various programs and control each part. That is, the CPUs 21 and 51 read programs from the ROMs 22 and 52 or the storages 24 and 54, and execute the programs using the RAMs 23 and 53 as a working area. The CPUs 21 and 51 control each of the above components and perform various calculations according to the programs recorded in the ROMs 22 and 52 or the storages 24 and 54.

[0025] In this embodiment, the storage 24 of the information processing device 20 shown in Figure 2 stores an information processing program 20A for estimating suitable alcoholic beverage data, training data 20B, and a trained model 20C. In addition, although not shown in the figures, the storage 24 of the information processing device 20 also stores, for example, alcoholic beverage characteristic data (data recording the characteristics of alcoholic beverages, including sake), preference-component correspondence data (data showing the correspondence between linguistic expressions indicating the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages and their components), alcoholic beverage dispenser location data (data recording the location of alcoholic beverage dispensers 40 (see Figure 1)), inventory data (data regarding inventory for each alcoholic beverage dispenser 40 (see Figure 1)), customer data (data recording customer email addresses, etc.). The alcoholic beverage characteristic data includes, as an example, data on combinations of alcoholic beverage brands and physical properties (what components (compounds) it contains). Furthermore, the alcoholic beverage characteristic data may also include data on combinations of alcoholic beverage brands and linguistic expressions indicating the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages (e.g., fruity, banana aroma, soft, etc.). The storage 54 of the supply control device 50 shown in Figure 3 stores a supply control program 50A for controlling the supply of alcoholic beverages.

[0026] The input unit 25 of the information processing device 20 shown in Figure 2 includes a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and is used for various types of input. The display units 26 and 56 shown in Figures 2 and 3 are, for example, liquid crystal displays, and display various types of information. The communication interfaces 27 and 57 are interfaces for communicating with other devices, and for example, standards such as FDDI and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) are used.

[0027] Figure 4 shows an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 20 in a block diagram. The information processing device 20 is configured to include a collection unit 201, a learning unit 202, a reception unit 203, an estimation unit 204, a identification unit 205, and a transmission unit 206. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU 21 reading and executing an information processing program 20A stored in the storage 24.

[0028] The collection unit 201 collects training data, which consists of pairs of user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages and corresponding suitable alcoholic beverage data.

[0029] User data includes at least one of the following: alcohol product evaluation data relating to brands the user has previously consumed and the user's evaluation of those brands; sensory preference data relating to the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages; snack data relating to snacks the user plans to eat while drinking; favorite food data relating to the user's favorite foods; disliked food data relating to the user's disliked foods; and attribute data indicating the user's attributes. Sensory preference data is a linguistic expression of the user's sensory preferences, such as liking fruity things, liking the scent of pineapple, liking the scent of banana, or liking things with a soft feel. It should be noted that many relationships between scents and components have been elucidated, for example, pineapple scent is due to ethyl estate, and banana scent is due to amyl ester. Attribute data includes at least one of the user's age, gender, occupation, and place of residence. Furthermore, in this embodiment, user data includes restaurant data relating to the characteristics of restaurants the user has visited. Restaurant data includes, for example, the category of cuisine primarily served at the restaurant (Japanese food, Chinese food, Western food, etc.), other information regarding the menu, and information regarding the restaurant's location.

[0030] The suitable alcoholic beverage data is data relating to one or more types of alcoholic beverages blended to suit the user's preferences. In this embodiment, the "one or more types of alcoholic beverages blended" refers to a blend of one brand of sake or multiple brands of sake. The data relating to the blended alcoholic beverages is data relating to the types (brands) of alcoholic beverages blended and their blending ratios.

[0031] Data including alcohol product evaluation data, sensory preference data, snack data, favorite food data, disliked food data, attribute data, and suitable alcohol data can be obtained, for example, by having monitor members answer a questionnaire on a user terminal 30 at a restaurant and sending the answers to the information processing device 20. Regarding suitable alcohol data, it can be obtained by having monitor members sample several types of alcohol and submitting their answers and the information processing device 20 to the monitor member who best suits their preferences. The questionnaire can be displayed on the user terminal 30 by scanning a QR code (registered trademark) located within the restaurant. Restaurant data can be obtained, for example, by identifying the restaurant based on the data from the QR code (registered trademark) (scanned within the restaurant) transmitted from the user terminal 30 used to answer the questionnaire, and then obtaining information from a restaurant database (not shown, may be an external database) that records information for each restaurant (each store). Multiple learning data collected by the collection unit 201 are stored in the storage 24 (see Figure 2).

[0032] Furthermore, the aforementioned questionnaire includes questions about favorite foods (users' favorite foods), such as presenting multiple fruits and asking users to select their favorite, or asking users to select their favorite from a list of typical ingredients designed to capture tastes, such as meat and fish. Similarly, the aforementioned questionnaire includes questions about disliked foods (users' disliked foods), such as presenting multiple fruits and asking users to select their dislike, or asking users to select their dislike from a list of typical ingredients designed to capture tastes, such as meat and fish.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the number of brands of alcohol used for tasting during the aforementioned questionnaire is set to be less than or equal to the number of alcohol supply containers that can be placed in the alcohol supply machine 40 (see Figure 1). In addition, it is preferable to have as many variations as possible of the blends of multiple brands of sake used for tasting.

[0034] Furthermore, sensory preference data and corresponding suitable alcoholic beverage data can also be collected in the following manner. Specifically, the collection unit 201 obtains the correspondence between linguistic expressions indicating the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages (e.g., fruity, banana aroma, smooth, etc.) and their components from a database (or external database) stored in storage 24, for example. Based on the data showing the relationship between the brand and components of alcoholic beverages among the alcoholic beverage characteristic data stored in storage 24, the sensory preference data and its corresponding suitable alcoholic beverage data are collected as pairs. In this configuration, it is also possible to use suitable alcoholic beverage data that the person who expressed the sensory preference has not actually drunk.

[0035] Furthermore, data including alcohol product evaluation data, sensory preference data, snack data, favorite food data, disliked food data, attribute data, restaurant data, and suitable alcoholic beverage data can also be obtained from various databases stored in storage 24 or from external databases as appropriate, in addition to those mentioned above.

[0036] The learning unit 202 constructs a trained model 20C (see Figure 2) for estimating suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to user data, based on multiple training data. The trained model 20C (see Figure 2) is, for example, a neural network model.

[0037] The trained model 20C of this embodiment (see Figure 2) is a machine learning model that, upon input of user data including at least one of the following: alcohol product evaluation data relating to brands the user has previously drunk and the user's evaluation of those brands; sensory preference data relating to the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages; snack data relating to snacks the user plans to eat while drinking; favorite food data relating to the user's favorite foods; disliked food data relating to foods the user dislikes; and attribute data indicating the user's attributes, outputs suitable alcoholic beverage data relating to one or more types of alcoholic beverages that match the user's preferences (see Figure 5). In this embodiment, the user data further includes restaurant data relating to the characteristics of restaurants the user has visited.

[0038] As an example of a learning algorithm, deep learning can be used, and a neural network model is constructed so that when user data is input as training data, the appropriate alcoholic beverage data for that training data is output. This is possible because there is a certain correlation between the user data and the appropriate alcoholic beverage data.

[0039] Here, we will explain the correlation between user data and suitable alcoholic beverage data.

[0040] First, the alcohol product evaluation data concerns the brands that the user has drunk in the past and the user's evaluation of those brands, and since it indicates the user's preference for alcoholic beverages, there is a correlation with the suitable alcoholic beverage data. The sensory preference data indicates the user's sensory preference for alcoholic beverages, and therefore there is a correlation with the suitable alcoholic beverage data. The snack data concerns the snacks that the user plans to eat while drinking alcohol, and since the type of snack can influence the type of alcoholic beverage the user wants to drink, there is a certain degree of correlation with the suitable alcoholic beverage data. The favorite food data concerns the user's favorite foods, and the disliked food data concerns the user's disliked foods, but since both food and alcoholic beverages are related to taste, the favorite food data and disliked food data are correlated with the suitable alcoholic beverage data to some extent. The attribute data includes at least one of the user's age, gender, occupation, and place of residence, and since the user's physical condition, lifestyle patterns, and surrounding environment can influence their relationship with alcoholic beverages, there is a certain degree of correlation with the suitable alcoholic beverage data. The restaurant data relates to the characteristics of the restaurants that users visit, and since the characteristics of the restaurants can influence the type of alcoholic beverage a user wants to drink, there is a certain degree of correlation between this data and the data on suitable alcoholic beverages.

[0041] The reception unit 203 receives and acquires transmitted data from the user terminal 30 (see Figure 1) that includes new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages. The user data includes at least one of the following: alcohol product evaluation data relating to brands the user has drunk in the past and the user's evaluation of those brands; sensory preference data relating to the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages; snack data relating to snacks the user plans to eat while drinking; favorite food data relating to the user's favorite foods; disliked food data relating to foods the user dislikes; and attribute data indicating the user's attributes. Furthermore, the user data includes restaurant data relating to the characteristics of the restaurants the user has visited.

[0042] As an example of the user data received by the reception unit 203, alcohol product evaluation data, sensory preference data, snack data, favorite food data, disliked food data, and attribute data are data entered on the user terminal 30 shown in Figure 1. To further explain, when a user visiting a restaurant scans a QR code (registered trademark) with the user terminal 30, a questionnaire including questions about alcohol product evaluation, sensory preference, snacks, favorite food, disliked food, and the user's attributes is displayed on the user terminal 30. When the user answers at least one question on the questionnaire and performs a predetermined operation, data including alcohol product evaluation data, sensory preference data, snack data, favorite food data, disliked food data, and attribute data is transmitted from the user terminal 30 to the information processing device 20, which is then able to acquire this data. For items that are not answered, data indicating unanswered or blank data is transmitted. The questions in the aforementioned questionnaire are, as an example, the questions in the questionnaire answered by the aforementioned monitor members, with the questions about suitable alcoholic beverages removed. In this embodiment, as an example, the user is informed in advance that the response to the aforementioned questionnaire and the order for the recommended suitable alcoholic beverage are a set. The restaurant data received by the reception unit 203 is obtained, as an example, from a restaurant database (not shown) that records information for each restaurant (each store), based on data from a QR code (registered trademark) (read inside the restaurant) transmitted from the user terminal 30 (see Figure 1), which is the source of the alcoholic beverage product evaluation data, etc. The restaurant is identified based on this data.

[0043] The estimation unit 204 uses the trained model 20C stored in the storage 24 (see Figure 2) to estimate suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to the new user data for suitable alcoholic beverage estimation received by the reception unit 203. The identification unit 205 identifies the supply control device 50 (see Figure 1) to which the suitable alcoholic beverage data estimated by the estimation unit 204 should be transmitted, based on the QR code (registered trademark) data received by the reception unit 203.

[0044] The transmitting unit 206 transmits the suitable alcoholic beverage data estimated by the estimation unit 204 to the supply control device 50 (see Figure 1) identified by the identification unit 205. In other words, the transmitting unit 206 transmits the estimation result from the estimation unit 204 to the supply control device 50 (both see Figure 1) of the alcoholic beverage dispenser 40 used by the user using the user terminal 30 (see Figure 1), which is the source of the alcoholic beverage product evaluation data, etc., received by the receiving unit 203. The transmitting unit 206 may also transmit the suitable alcoholic beverage data estimated by the estimation unit 204 to the user terminal 30 (see Figure 1), which is the source of the alcoholic beverage product evaluation data, etc., received by the receiving unit 203. Furthermore, if the system does not combine the questionnaire response with an order for a recommended suitable alcoholic beverage, the transmission unit 206 may not transmit the suitable alcoholic beverage data estimated by the estimation unit 204 to the supply control device 50 (see Figure 1), but only to the user terminal 30 (see Figure 1), which is the source of the alcoholic beverage product evaluation data received by the reception unit 203. In this case, the user terminal 30's display can show alcoholic beverages that suit the user's preferences, thereby supporting the user's ordering at the restaurant.

[0045] On the other hand, the supply control device 50 shown in Figure 1 controls the alcohol dispenser 40 so that it supplies the appropriate alcoholic beverage indicated by the estimation result when it receives the estimation result estimated by the estimation unit 204 (see Figure 4) of the information processing device 20. The supply control device 50 is, for example, built into the alcohol dispenser 40.

[0046] Here, we will provide a supplementary explanation of an example of the alcohol dispenser 40. The alcohol dispenser 40 includes a mounting section on which a sake vessel (e.g., a sake bottle) used by the user during drinking is placed, and also includes a plurality of containers positioned at a height above the sake vessel placed on the mounting section, and which are movable relative to the sake vessel when viewed from above the device, with each of the plurality of containers containing a different brand of alcohol. The containers are configured to be able to achieve a predetermined relative positional relationship with the sake vessel for alcohol supply, and move relative to the sake vessel in accordance with instructions from the supply control device 50. Furthermore, each of the containers is provided with an injection section for pouring alcohol into the sake vessel, and when the relative positional relationship between the container and the sake vessel is set to the predetermined positional relationship for alcohol supply, it becomes possible to supply alcohol from the injection section to the sake vessel. In addition, each of the injection sections is configured to supply an amount of alcohol to the sake vessel, for example, by dripping, according to instructions from the supply control device 50. As described above, the alcohol dispenser 40 is capable of supplying one or more types of suitable alcoholic beverages, as estimated by the estimation unit 204 (see Figure 4), to the drinking vessel used by the user when drinking, in response to instructions from the supply control device 50.

[0047] Furthermore, the alcohol dispenser 40 is configured, for example, to house the multiple containers in a casing with a refrigeration function, thereby maintaining the freshness of the alcoholic beverages contained in the containers. In addition, the alcohol dispenser 40 is equipped, for example, with a weighing mechanism that measures the mass of the containers containing the alcoholic beverages, and the amount supplied to the alcoholic beverage dispenser is determined based on the measurement value of this weighing mechanism.

[0048] Next, we will describe the specific processing performed by the information processing device 20, and the subsequent processing performed by the supply control device 50.

[0049] First, in the information processing device 20, the CPU 21 shown in Figure 2 reads a learning program, which is part of the information processing program 20A, from the storage 24, loads it into the RAM 23, and executes it, thereby performing the learning process shown in Figure 6.

[0050] In step S101, the CPU 21, acting as a data collection unit 201 (see Figure 4), collects training data, which consists of pairs of user data and corresponding suitable alcoholic beverage data, and stores the training data in the storage 24.

[0051] In step S102, the CPU 21, acting as a learning unit 202 (see Figure 4), constructs and trains a neural network model for estimating suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to user data based on multiple training data. It then stores the neural network model (trained model 20C) in the storage 24 and terminates the training process.

[0052] Next, in the information processing device 20 shown in Figure 2, the CPU 21 reads the estimation and transmission program, which is part of the information processing program 20A, from the storage 24, loads it into the RAM 23, and executes it, thereby performing the process shown in Figure 7. The process shown in Figure 7 is started when a user who wishes to be presented with recommended alcoholic beverages inputs their answers to a predetermined questionnaire at the user terminal 30 (see Figure 1), and that input information (answer information) is transmitted to the information processing device 20.

[0053] In step S201, the CPU 21, acting as a reception unit 203 (see Figure 4), receives and acquires transmitted data from the user terminal 30 (see Figure 1), including new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages. To elaborate, as an example, data other than restaurant data from the new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages is acquired from data entered at the user terminal 30. Restaurant data is acquired from the restaurant database (not shown) after the restaurant is identified based on the data of the QR code (registered trademark) transmitted from the user terminal 30 (see Figure 1), which is the source of the alcoholic beverage product evaluation data, etc.

[0054] In step S202, the CPU 21, acting as an estimation unit 204 (see Figure 4), uses a pre-trained model 20C stored in the storage 24 to estimate the appropriate alcoholic beverage data corresponding to the new user data received in step S201. In other words, in step S202, the CPU 21 estimates the appropriate alcoholic beverage data by inputting the new user data received in step S201 into the pre-trained model 20C. By using a pre-trained model, it is possible to obtain an output that is not influenced by human experience or intuition.

[0055] In step S203, the CPU 21, acting as a locator unit 205 (see Figure 4), identifies the supply control device 50 (see Figure 1) to which the suitable alcoholic beverage data estimated in step S202 should be transmitted, for example, based on the QR code (registered trademark) data received by the reception unit 203. In step S204, the CPU 21, acting as a transmitter unit 206 (see Figure 4), transmits the suitable alcoholic beverage data estimated in step S202 to the supply control device 50 (see Figure 1) identified in step S203, and the process shown in Figure 7 is completed.

[0056] Subsequently, when the supply control device 50 shown in Figure 1 receives the estimation result (i.e., estimated suitable alcoholic beverage data) from the information processing device 20, it controls the alcoholic beverage dispenser 40 to supply the suitable alcoholic beverage indicated by the estimation result. This makes it possible to actually supply alcoholic beverages that match the user's preferences. As an example, the supply control device 50 displays information related to alcoholic beverage supply on the display unit 56.

[0057] As explained above, this embodiment makes it possible to present alcoholic beverages that suit the user's preferences. Furthermore, this embodiment makes it possible to present alcoholic beverages that suit the user's preferences even in restaurants without experts such as sake sommeliers. It also enhances the entertainment value.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the alcoholic beverage used as an example is sake, and depending on their answers, users entering a restaurant may be able to taste a blend of multiple brands of sake. In addition, restaurants can offer a wide variety of flavors with a relatively small number of sake brands, enabling them to provide a diverse selection of sake.

[0059] In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 7, the user data includes restaurant data relating to the characteristics of the restaurant the user visited. However, as a variation of the above embodiments, a configuration in which the user data does not include restaurant data is also possible.

[0060] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, "a blend of one or more types of alcoholic beverages" refers to a blend of one brand of sake or multiple brands of sake. However, as a modification of the above embodiment, "a blend of one or more types of alcoholic beverages" may include alcoholic beverages other than sake, such as Western liquor.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the supply control device is connected to the information processing device via a network, Reference Examples Not Concerning Embodiments of the Invention Alternatively, the supply control device may not be connected to the information processing device, and the suitable alcoholic beverage data estimated by the information processing device may be used solely for informational purposes.

[0062] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the user is informed in advance that their questionnaire response and the order for the recommended suitable alcoholic beverage are a set. However, it is also possible to add a question to the questionnaire asking whether or not the user wishes to order the recommended suitable alcoholic beverage, and only supply the suitable alcoholic beverage from the alcohol dispenser 40 if the user has ordered the recommended suitable alcoholic beverage.

[0063] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the information processing program 20A is stored in the storage 24 of the information processing device 20 as an example, but the information processing program 20A may be stored in the ROM 22 instead of the storage 24 of the information processing device 20.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the supply control program 50A is stored in the storage 54 of the supply control device 50 as an example, but the supply control program 50A may be stored in the ROM 52 instead of the storage 54 of the supply control device 50.

[0065] Furthermore, as a variation of the above embodiment, when the user answers the questionnaire on the user terminal 30, information about the restaurant (store) may also be entered, and the information processing device 20 may access the restaurant database or identify the supply control device 50 to which the appropriate alcoholic beverage data should be transmitted based on the restaurant information provided in the questionnaire.

[0066] In addition, the processing that CPUs 21 and 51 read and execute in the above embodiment may be executed by various processors other than the CPUs. Examples of such processors include GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), etc. Furthermore, the operation of the processors in the above embodiment may be performed by multiple processors located in physically separate locations working together.

[0067] Furthermore, the information processing program 20A and the supply control program 50A of the above embodiment may be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory). Alternatively, the program may be provided in a form that can be downloaded from an external device via a network. In other words, the information processing program 20A and the supply control program 50A can be provided as a program product. Note that a program product includes any form of product for providing the program.

[0068] Furthermore, the above embodiments and the various modifications described above can be combined as appropriate.

[0069] Although an example of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it is of course possible to implement it in various ways without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 10 Information Processing Systems 20 Information Processing Devices 20A Information Processing Program 21 CPU (Processor) 20C Pre-trained Model 30 User terminals 40 Liquor dispensing machine 50 Supply control device N Network

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a processor, the processor takes user data as input, which includes at least one of the following: alcohol product evaluation data relating to brands the user has previously drunk and the user's evaluation of those brands; sensory preference data relating to the user's sensory preferences for alcoholic beverages; snack data relating to snacks the user plans to eat while drinking; favorite food data relating to the user's favorite foods; disliked food data relating to foods the user dislikes; and attribute data indicating the user's attributes. The processor uses a pre-trained model that has been trained to output suitable alcoholic beverage data relating to one or more types of alcoholic beverages blended to suit the user's preferences, and estimates suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to the new user data by inputting new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages into the pre-trained model. A user terminal connected to the aforementioned information processing device via a network, A supply control device that controls the supply of alcoholic beverages in an alcoholic beverage dispenser that is connected to the aforementioned information processing device via a network and is capable of supplying one or more types of alcoholic beverages blended together, An information processing system comprising, The information processing device, upon acquiring new user data for estimating suitable alcoholic beverages through input from the user terminal, estimates suitable alcoholic beverage data corresponding to the new user data, and transmits the estimation result to the supply control device of the alcoholic beverage dispenser used by the user terminal. When the supply control device receives the estimation result from the information processing device, it controls the alcohol dispenser so that the alcohol dispenser supplies the compliant alcohol indicated by the estimation result. The alcoholic beverage dispenser comprises a mounting section for placing a drinking vessel used by the user when drinking, and a plurality of containers positioned at a height above the drinking vessel placed on the mounting section and movable relative to the drinking vessel when viewed from above the device, each of the plurality of containers containing a different brand of alcoholic beverage, the containers being able to be positioned relative to the drinking vessel in a predetermined position for alcoholic beverage supply, and moving relative to the drinking vessel in response to instructions from the supply control device, and further, each of the containers being provided with an injection section for pouring alcoholic beverage into the drinking vessel, and when the relative position of the container and the drinking vessel is in the predetermined position for alcoholic beverage supply, it is possible to supply alcoholic beverage from the injection section to the drinking vessel, and each of the plurality of injection sections is configured to supply an amount of alcoholic beverage to the drinking vessel in accordance with the instructions from the supply control device, in an information processing system.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the user data further includes restaurant data relating to the characteristics of the restaurant entered by the user.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the alcoholic beverage blended of one or more types is a blend of one brand of sake or a blend of multiple brands of sake.

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