Information communication system and information communication method

Abstract

An information communication system and an information communication method are provided. By sending a message, a sender can obtain an advertisement for which a reward can be obtained for the advertising result. The information communication system sends the advertisement to the first terminal device based on the fact that a message is sent from a first terminal device used by a first user to a second terminal device used by a second user. The information communication system causes the first terminal device to display an operable operating element for sending the advertisement to the second terminal device. In response to the first user operating the operating element, the information communication system sends the advertisement to the second terminal device. The information communication system performs a process of giving a reward to the first user based on the fact that the second user has performed an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement after selecting the advertisement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for distributing advertisements to terminal devices via a network. Background Art

[0002] In the past, there is a known system for distributing advertisements through a network such as the Internet. In such a system, advertisements are displayed in content such as a web page or an email. When a user selects an advertisement, the user's terminal device, for example, accesses a website that publishes information related to the product or service corresponding to the advertisement.

[0003] In addition, there are also known advertising based on performance compensation. For example, a distributor generates and operates content such as a website. Furthermore, the distributor publishes an advertisement embedded with a so-called distribution link in the generated content. When a user who has viewed the content selects the advertisement, information identifying the distributor is recorded based on the distribution link, and the subsequent actions of the user are tracked. Then, when the user takes actions such as ordering a product corresponding to the advertisement or making an appointment for a service corresponding to the advertisement, a reward is given to the distributor identified by the recorded information. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for tracking the purchase path of a user who visits a website based on an advertisement to purchase a product.

[0004] On the other hand, RCS (Rich Communication Service) and instant messaging are becoming popular. Generally speaking, such a system provides a screen showing the messages being exchanged according to the objects with which the users exchange messages. By using each screen, users can exchange messages individually in real time like chatting. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses an instant messaging service system using a mobile communication terminal.

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-86854

[0006] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-191608

[0007] The messages sent and received between terminal devices can also be said to be the contents generated by the sender of the message. Under such assumption, it is considered appropriate to give the sender of the message a distribution reward. However, in the existing system, it is impossible to give the sender of the message a distribution reward. Summary of the invention

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one example of its subject is to realize an information communication system and an information communication method in which a sender can obtain an advertisement that allows him to obtain a reward for the advertising result by sending a message.

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention recorded in the first aspect is an information communication system, characterized in that the information communication system comprises: a first sending unit, which sends an advertisement to the first terminal device based on the situation that a message is sent from the first terminal device used by the first user to the second terminal device used by the second user; a display control unit, which causes the first terminal device to display an operable operation element for sending the advertisement sent by the first sending unit to the second terminal device; a second sending unit, which sends the advertisement sent by the first sending unit to the second terminal device in response to the first user operating the displayed operation element; and an assigning unit, which performs a process of assigning a reward to the first user based on the situation that the second user has performed an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement after selecting the advertisement sent by the second sending unit.

[0010] According to the present invention, based on the fact that a message is sent from the first terminal device, an advertisement is sent to the first terminal device, and an operation element is displayed by the first terminal device. In response to the fact that the first user operates the displayed operation element, the advertisement is sent to the second terminal device as the destination of the message. When the second user selects the advertisement and performs an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement, a reward is given to the first user. Therefore, by sending a message, the sender can obtain an advertisement that can obtain a reward for the result of the advertisement.

[0011] The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the advertisement transmitted by the first transmission unit is an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the first user.

[0012] According to the present invention, an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the first user is sent to the second terminal device according to the situation in which the operation element is selected. Since the first user sends a message to the second user, it is inferred that the first user and the second user are in a relationship of exchanging messages. Therefore, there may be some common attributes between the first user and the second user. The common attribute may be an attribute that cannot be determined based on the actions of the second user himself or the situation of the publisher. Therefore, by prompting the second user with an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the first user, the effect of the advertisement can be improved.

[0013] The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the advertisement transmitted by the first transmission unit is an advertisement related to the transmitted message.

[0014] According to the present invention, based on the selection of the operation element, an advertisement associated with a message sent from the first user is sent to the second terminal device. The first user sent a message to the second user, so it is inferred that the first user and the second user are in a relationship of exchanging messages. Therefore, the matter associated with the message sent by the first user may be a matter of interest to the second user. By prompting the second user with an advertisement that the second user may be interested in, the effect of the advertisement can be improved.

[0015] The invention recorded in aspect 4 is characterized in that the first terminal device displays the message sent in the first user screen that displays messages sent and received between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the first sending unit sends the advertisement to the first terminal device based on the first user selecting the displayed message from the first user screen.

[0016] According to the present invention, in response to the first user selecting a message sent by the first user on the screen, an advertisement is sent to the first terminal device.

[0017] The invention recorded in aspect 5 is characterized in that the first sending unit sends the advertisement to which the following identification information is attached, and the identification information identifies the first user as the user to be given the remuneration, in response to the second user selecting the advertisement sent by the second sending unit, the identification information attached to the advertisement is sent from the second terminal device and stored, and the giving unit obtains the stored identification information in response to the second user performing the action, and determines the user to be given the remuneration based on the obtained identification information.

[0018] According to the present invention, an advertisement to which identification information for identifying a first user is attached is sent to a first terminal device, and the advertisement is sent to a second terminal device based on the selection of an operation element. When the second user selects the advertisement, the second terminal device sends the identification information attached to the advertisement, and the identification information is stored. When the second user performs an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement, the stored identification information is obtained, and the user to be rewarded is determined to be the first user based on the identification information. Therefore, the user to be rewarded can be appropriately determined.

[0019] The invention recorded in aspect 6 is characterized in that, through a message system capable of sending and receiving messages between multiple terminal devices, the message is sent from the first terminal device to the second terminal device, and the granting unit executes the processing of granting the reward to the first user and the processing of granting the reward to the operator of the message system.

[0020] According to the present invention, when the second user selects an advertisement and performs an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement, a reward is also given to the operator of the message system. If the advertisement is displayed on a screen or user interface provided by the message system, the screen or user interface is considered to be an advertising medium. Therefore, a reward for the advertising result can be given to the provider of the advertising medium.

[0021] The invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that the second terminal device displays the sent message on a second user screen that displays messages sent and received between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and the second sending unit causes the second user screen to display the advertisement.

[0022] According to the present invention, an advertisement can be displayed together with a message transmitted from a first terminal device by the second terminal device.

[0023] The invention described in aspect 8 is an information communication method executed by a computer, characterized in that the information communication method includes the following steps: a first sending step, sending an advertisement to the first terminal device based on a situation in which a message is sent from a first terminal device used by a first user to a second terminal device used by a second user; a display control step, causing the first terminal device to display an operable operating element for sending the advertisement sent through the first sending step to the second terminal device; a second sending step, sending the advertisement sent through the first sending step to the second terminal device in response to the first user operating the displayed operating element; and an assigning step, executing a process of assigning a reward to the first user based on a situation in which it is determined that the second user has performed an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement after selecting the advertisement sent through the second sending step.

[0024] The invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that the advertisement transmitted in the first transmission step is an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the first user.

[0025] The invention described in claim 10 is characterized in that the advertisement transmitted in the first transmission step is an advertisement associated with the transmitted message.

[0026] The invention recorded in aspect 11 is characterized in that the first terminal device displays the message to be sent in the first user screen displaying messages sent and received between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and in the first sending step, the advertisement is sent to the first terminal device based on the fact that the first user selects the displayed message from the first user screen.

[0027] The invention recorded in aspect 12 is characterized in that, in the first sending step, the advertisement to which the following identification information is attached is sent, and the identification information identifies the first user as the user to be given the remuneration, in response to the second user selecting the advertisement sent through the second sending step, the identification information attached to the advertisement is sent from the second terminal device and stored, and in the giving step, in response to the second user performing the action, the stored identification information is obtained, and the user to be given the remuneration is determined based on the obtained identification information.

[0028] The invention recorded in aspect 13 is characterized in that the message is sent from the first terminal device to the second terminal device through a message system capable of sending and receiving messages between multiple terminal devices, and in the assignment step, the processing of assigning the remuneration to the first user and the processing of assigning the remuneration to the operator of the message system are performed.

[0029] The invention described in aspect 14 is characterized in that the second terminal device displays the sent message in the second user screen that displays the messages sent and received between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, and in the second sending step, the advertisement is displayed on the second user screen.

[0030] Effects of the Invention

[0031] According to the present invention, by sending a message, the sender can obtain an advertisement for which he can obtain compensation for the advertising results. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an advertisement system S according to an embodiment.

[0033] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a message management server 1 according to an embodiment.

[0034] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the database of the message management server 1 .

[0035] Figure 4 This is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an advertisement server 2 according to an embodiment.

[0036] Figure 5 2 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the database of the advertisement server 2 .

[0037] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block of the system control unit 11 of the message management server 1 .

[0038] Figure 7 It is a figure which shows the example of switching of a screen.

[0039] Figure 8 It is a figure which shows the example of switching of a screen.

[0040] Fig. 9 2 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block of the system control unit 21 of the advertisement server 2 .

[0041] Fig.10 This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the advertisement system S according to one embodiment.

[0042] Fig.11 This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the advertisement system S according to one embodiment.

[0043] Fig.12 This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the advertisement system S according to one embodiment.

[0044] Fig.13 This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the advertisement system S according to one embodiment.

[0045] Description of symbols

[0046] 1 Message Management Server

[0047] 2 Ad Server

[0048] 3 Transaction service server

[0049] 4 User Terminal

[0050] 11 System Control Unit

[0051] 12 System Bus

[0052] 13 Input and output interfaces

[0053] 14 Storage

[0054] 14a Member DB

[0055] 14b Advertising permission information DB

[0056] 14c Chat DB

[0057] 15 Ministry of Communications

[0058] 111 First Sending Section

[0059] 112 Operation element display control unit

[0060] 113 Second Sending Section

[0061] 21 System Control Unit

[0062] 22 System bus

[0063] 23 Input and output interfaces

[0064] 24 Storage

[0065] 24a User attribute DB

[0066] 24b Advertising DB

[0067] 24c Ad Selection History DB

[0068] 24d Reward DB

[0069] 25 Ministry of Communications

[0070] 211 Advertising Department

[0071] 212 Remuneration Department

[0072] NW Network

[0073] S Advertising System DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] [1. Structure of the advertising system]

[0076] First, use Figure 1 The configuration and function overview of the advertisement system S according to the present embodiment will be described. Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an advertisement system S according to the present embodiment.

[0077] like Figure 1 As shown, the advertising system S has a message management server 1, an advertising server 2, one or more transaction service servers 3, and a plurality of user terminals 4. The message management server 1, the advertising server 2, each transaction service server 3, and each user terminal 4 are connected to each other via a network NW. The network NW is constructed by, for example, the Internet, a dedicated communication line (such as a CATV (Community Antenna Television) line), a mobile communication network (including base stations, etc.), and a gateway. The combination of the message management server 1 and the advertising server 2 is an example of an information communication system.

[0078] The message management server 1 is a server device for providing RCS. For example, when a user selects an object to exchange messages with, the message management server 1 opens a chat screen. The object at this time is determined by a phone number. The chat screen can also be a screen for two or more users to exchange private messages with each other. For example, messages sent and received between two or more user terminals 4 can also be displayed in the chat screen. The chat screen can also be a screen corresponding to a chat room. When the message management server 1 receives a message from the user terminal 4 of a user who has opened a certain chat screen, it forwards the message to the user terminal 4 of other users associated with the chat screen. Basically, the message management server 1 forwards the message in real time. The message management server 1 can also forward image data, multimedia content, and other data. In addition, the message management server 1 obtains the advertising content from the advertising server 2 according to the situation where a message is sent from any user terminal 4, and sends the advertising content as a reward-based advertisement that enables the sender of the message to receive reward-based results to the user terminal 4. The advertising content can also be multimedia content representing an advertisement. Then, according to the operation of the sender of the message, the message management server 1 sends the advertising content to the user terminal 4 of the recipient of the message. Thereby, the advertisement is displayed on the user terminal 4 of the recipient of the message.

[0079] The advertising server 2 is a server device that provides advertising content to the message management server 1. For example, the advertising server 2 can also determine the attributes of the user who sent the message using RCS, and the advertisement corresponding to the message. In addition, the advertising server 2 can also determine the advertisement by performing so-called real-time bidding based on the advertising unit price prompted by each advertiser. The advertising unit price is the advertising fee paid by the advertiser to the advertiser using the message management server 1 for each advertising result. In addition, the advertiser and the company providing RCS can be the same or different. In addition, the advertising server 2 can also act as a distribution service provider. Specifically, when the recipient of the message in RCS selects the advertisement displayed in the user terminal 4 and takes an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement (that is, when the conversion is established), the advertising server 2 performs a process of granting a reward to the sender of the message. Examples of actions corresponding to the results of the advertisement include the purchase of goods, the purchase of services, the reservation of services, membership registration, the request for information, and the appointment of meetings. Examples of the rewards granted include legal tender, electronic currency, points, etc. Points can be used through a prescribed points program. For example, when purchasing goods or using services at a specified website or physical store, the points can be used as the purchase price or usage price. In addition, the advertising server 2 can also be composed of a server device that provides advertisements and a server device that performs distribution-related processing. These server devices can also be connected to each other via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0080] Each transaction service server 3 is a server device for providing transaction services for users of user terminals 4 to trade with transaction objects. The transaction object may also be an object of commercial transaction. Examples of transaction objects include commodities and services. Each transaction service server 3 may also perform processing related to a website that provides transaction services. In the case where there are multiple transaction service servers 3, these transaction service servers 3 may also provide transaction services different from each other. Examples of transaction services or websites provided by the transaction service servers 3 include online shopping, online shopping malls, hotel reservations, book sales, beauty salon reservations, takeout reservations, and provision of real estate information. Each transaction service server 3 publishes the content of the advertiser of the advertisement to be published to the user terminal 4, and is capable of performing actions corresponding to the results of the advertisement. At least one of the multiple enterprises that sell commodities or services using the transaction service provided by the transaction service server 3 may also be an advertiser. In the case where the transaction service is only for the transaction object of the provider of the transaction service itself, the provider may be an advertiser.

[0081] Each user terminal 4 is a terminal device that can be carried by a user using RCS. Each user terminal 4 may also have a telephone function. Examples of user terminals 4 include portable information terminals such as smartphones and tablet computers, mobile phones, and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). As user terminals 4, fixed terminal devices such as personal computers may also be used. An application dedicated to RCS may also be installed in each user terminal 4. In addition, a web browser may also be installed in each user terminal 4.

[0082] [2. Device structure]

[0083] [2-1. Structure of message management server]

[0084] Next, use Figure 2 and Figure 3 The structure of the message management server 1 will be described. Figure 2 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic structure of the message management server 1 of the present embodiment. Figure 2 As shown, the message management server 1 includes a system control unit 11, a system bus 12, an input / output interface 13, a storage unit 14, and a communication unit 15. The system control unit 11 and the input / output interface 13 are connected via the system bus 12.

[0085] The system control unit 11 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 a , a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11 b , a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11 c and the like.

[0086] The input / output interface 13 performs interface processing among the storage unit 14 , the communication unit 15 , and the system control unit 11 .

[0087] The storage unit 14 is constituted by, for example, a hard disk drive, etc. Databases such as a member DB 14a, an advertisement permission information DB 14b, and a chat DB 14c are stored in the storage unit 14. "DB" is an abbreviation for database.

[0088] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the database of the message management server 1. In the member DB 14a, member information related to users who can use the RCS provided by the message management server 1 is stored for each user. For example, in the member DB 14a, as member information, user ID, name, display name, telephone number, number of points held, etc. are stored in association with each other. The user ID is identification information for identifying the user. The number of points held indicates the number of points currently held by the user.

[0089] In the advertisement permission information DB 14b, advertisement permission information is stored for each user, and the advertisement permission information indicates whether the user accepts advertisements from the transaction service for each transaction service. The user can set whether to accept advertisements. Specifically, in the advertisement permission information DB 14b, as advertisement permission information, a user ID and a permission status list are stored in association with each other. The permission status list indicates whether the user indicated by the user ID accepts advertisements in each transaction service.

[0090] In the chat DB 14c, chat information related to the chat room generated in the RCS is stored for each chat room. Specifically, in the chat DB 14c, a chat ID, multiple user IDs, a chat history, etc. are stored in association with each other. The chat ID is identification information for identifying the chat room as an object. Each user ID represents a user who can enter the chat room as an object. Usually, the chat information contains the user IDs of two people. However, a chat room in which messages can be exchanged in a group of more than three people can also be generated. In this case, the chat information contains the user IDs of more than three people. The chat history is the history of information exchanged in the chat room. For example, the chat history can include the information, the user ID of the user who sent the information, the date and time of sending the information, etc. for each time the information is sent. The information sent includes messages, images, multimedia data, etc.

[0091] The storage unit 14 also stores various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS (Database Management System), and a message management server program. The message management server program is a program that causes the system control unit 11 to execute various processes related to the RCS. The message management server program can be obtained from other devices via the Internet NW, or can be recorded in a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, an optical disk, or a memory card and read in via a drive device.

[0092] The communication unit 15 is constituted by, for example, a network interface card, etc. The communication unit 15 is connected to the advertisement server 2, the transaction service server 3, the user terminal 4, etc. via the network NW, and controls the communication state with these devices.

[0093] [2-2. Structure of the ad server]

[0094] Next, use Figure 4 and Figure 5 The configuration of the advertisement server 2 will be described. Figure 4 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic structure of the advertisement server 2 according to the present embodiment. Figure 4 As shown, the advertisement server 2 includes a system control unit 21, a system bus 22, an input / output interface 23, a storage unit 24, and a communication unit 25. The system control unit 21 and the input / output interface 23 are connected via the system bus 22.

[0095] The system control unit 21 is composed of a CPU 21 a , a ROM 21 b , a RAM 21 c , and the like.

[0096] The input / output interface 23 performs interface processing among the storage unit 24 , the communication unit 25 , and the system control unit 21 .

[0097] The storage unit 24 is constituted by, for example, a hard disk drive, etc. The storage unit 24 stores databases such as a user attribute DB 24a, an advertisement DB 24b, an advertisement selection history DB 24c, and a reward DB 24d.

[0098] Figure 52 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the database of the advertising server 2. In the user attribute DB24a, information indicating the attributes of users who can use the RCS provided by the message management server 1 is stored for each user. Specifically, in the user attribute DB24a, user IDs and user attribute information are stored in association with each other. The user attribute information indicates the attributes of the user indicated by the user ID. For example, the user attribute information may indicate the click-through rate or conversion rate of the advertisement by the user as the object for each transaction service. The click-through rate in this case may be, for example, the ratio of the number of times the advertisement from a specific transaction service is displayed to a specific user in the RCS to the number of times the user selects the advertisement. In addition, the conversion rate in this case may be, for example, the ratio of the number of times the user performs an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement to the number of times the specific user accesses the transaction service by selecting an advertisement from a specific transaction service in the RCS. The click-through rate or conversion rate indicates the degree to which the user is interested in the transaction service, the degree to which the transaction service is liked, the degree to which the transaction service is used, or the degree to which the transaction is conducted through the transaction service. Therefore, it can be said that this information indicates the attributes of the user. The click rate or conversion rate can be calculated by the advertisement server 2 using, for example, the advertisement selection history DB 24c or the reward DB 24d. In addition, for example, the user attribute information can also indicate the user's age, gender, residential area, occupation, etc. This information can be input by the user from an RCS application, for example.

[0099] In the advertisement DB 24b, advertisement information related to advertisements distributed to the user terminal 4 of the user using the RCS is stored for each advertisement. Specifically, in the advertisement DB 24b, advertisement ID, service ID, advertiser ID, transaction object ID, advertisement image, advertisement unit price, link destination URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and the like are stored in association with each other. The advertisement ID is identification information for identifying the advertisement as the object. The service ID is identification information for identifying the transaction service. The service ID included in the advertisement information shows the transaction service that can realize the transaction of the transaction object promoted by the advertisement as the object. That is, the service ID indicates the transaction service that the advertisement as the object becomes the access destination of the user when the advertisement as the object is selected. The advertiser ID is identification information for identifying the advertiser of the advertisement as the object. The transaction object ID is identification information for identifying the transaction object promoted by the advertisement as the object. The advertisement image is an image representing the advertisement as the object. The advertisement unit price can be, for example, CPA (Cost Per Acquisition). The link destination URL is the URL of the content of a web page or the like on which information on the transaction object promoted by the advertisement as the object is published. When the user selects an advertisement, the user terminal 4 accesses the content indicated by the link destination URL and displays it.

[0100] In the advertisement selection history DB24c, there is stored a history of advertisement selection by users using RCS. Specifically, in the advertisement selection history DB24c, as an advertisement selection log, each time an advertisement is selected, the tracking ID, selection date and time, advertisement ID, service ID, RCS-ID, chat ID, selection user ID, distributor ID, etc. are stored in association with each other. The tracking ID is identification information for tracking the user's actions after selecting the advertisement. The selection date and time indicates the date and time when the advertisement is selected. The advertisement ID indicates the selected advertisement. The service ID indicates a transaction service that enables transactions of transaction objects promoted by the selected advertisement. RCS-ID is identification information for identifying the RCS. The RCS-ID contained in the advertisement selection log indicates which RCS the user selected the advertisement when using. In the advertisement system S, at least one RCS provided by the message management server 1 can be used. However, in the advertisement system S, multiple different RCSs can also be provided by multiple message management servers 1. Moreover, the user can also be able to use more than one RCS desired by the user among multiple RCSs. The chat ID indicates the screen of the chat room that was opened when the advertisement was selected. The selected user ID indicates the user who selected the advertisement. The distributor ID is the user ID of the user who is given a reward for the result of the selected advertisement when the user who selected the advertisement performs an action corresponding to the result of the selected advertisement (when a conversion is established).

[0101] In the reward DB 24d, when the conversion is completed, the relevant reward information of the reward given as the result of the advertisement is stored when the conversion of the user using the RCS is completed. Specifically, in the reward DB 24d, the conversion ID, the date and time of the conversion, the tracking ID, the RCS-ID, the chat ID, the transaction user ID, the distributor ID, the distributor reward amount, the RCS reward amount, etc. are stored in association with each other. The conversion ID is identification information for identifying the conversion. The conversion date and time indicates the date and time when the conversion is completed. The tracking ID is identification information used in tracking the action corresponding to the result of the advertisement. The RCS-ID shows which RCS the user who performed the action corresponding to the result of the advertisement selected the advertisement when using. The chat ID shows which chat room screen the user who performed the action corresponding to the result of the advertisement selected the advertisement when opening. The transaction user ID is the user ID of the user who performed the action corresponding to the result of the advertisement. The distributor ID is the user ID of the user who was given the reward for the result of the advertisement. The distributor reward amount indicates the amount of the reward given to the user indicated by the distributor ID. The RCS remuneration amount indicates the amount of remuneration given to the provider of the RCS indicated by the RCS-ID.

[0102] The storage unit 24 also stores various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS, and an advertisement server program. The advertisement server program is a program that causes the system control unit 21 to execute various processes related to the provision or distribution of advertisements. The advertisement server program can be obtained from other devices via the Internet NW, or can be recorded in a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, an optical disk, or a memory card and read in via a drive device.

[0103] The communication unit 25 is constituted by, for example, a network interface card, etc. The communication unit 25 is connected to the message management server 1, the transaction service server 3, the user terminal 4, etc. via the network NW, and controls the communication state with these devices.

[0104] [3. Functional Overview]

[0105] [3-1. Message Management Server]

[0106] Next, use Figure 6 to Figure 8 The following describes an overview of the functions of the system control unit 11 in the message management server 1 . Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block of the system control unit 11 of the message management server 1. The CPU 11a reads and executes various program codes included in the message management server program, thereby Figure 6 As shown, the system control unit 11 functions as a first transmission unit 111 , an operation element display control unit 112 , a second transmission unit 113 , and the like.

[0107] The first sending unit 111 sends an advertisement to the first user terminal 4 based on the fact that a message is sent from the first user terminal 4 used by a first user to the second user terminal 4 used by another second user. Here, the first user is referred to as user U1, and the second user is referred to as user U2. In addition, the first user terminal 4 is referred to as user terminal 4-1, and the second user terminal 4 is referred to as user terminal 4-2. When a chat is performed using a group of three or more people, there may be two or more user terminals 4-2.

[0108] The advertisement sent to the user terminal 4-1 is an advertisement for which the user U1 can receive a reward for the result. The first sending unit 111 may also send an advertisement to which a user ID representing the user U1 is attached, which is the user to whom the reward is given, to the user terminal 4-1. Based on the user ID attached to the advertisement, the user to whom the reward is given is determined as described later. For example, the first sending unit 111 may also send the content of the advertisement in the form of multimedia content. The advertisement content may, for example, at least include control data that can describe information such as an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) document or a script and an image of the advertisement. The control data may also include a tag or command that causes the user terminal 4-1 to display an image of the advertisement. In addition, the control data may also include a distribution link. The distribution link may also be a link for providing the user terminal 4 with access to the content of the transaction object corresponding to the advertisement in the transaction service when the advertisement is selected, and for identifying the user to whom the reward for the result is given when an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement is performed. For example, the distribution link may also include the user ID of the user U1 and the link destination URL. The advertisement sent to the user terminal 4-1 may also be an advertisement for which the provider of the RCS system (i.e., the operator of the message management server 1) that sent the message from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2 can receive performance compensation. In this case, the distribution link may also include information identifying the provider of the RCS. This information may be, for example, the RCS-ID or the chat ID of the chat room corresponding to the chat screen showing the message exchanged between the user U1 and the user U2.

[0109] Since the message is sent using the RCS protocol, the message management server 1 receives the message input by the user U1 from the user terminal 4-1 and transfers the message to the user terminal 4-2. At this time, the first sending unit 111 may also send an advertisement to the user terminal 4-1.

[0110] Alternatively, the first sending unit 111 may also send an advertisement to the user terminal 4-1 according to the operation of the user U1 after sending the message. Thus, the user U1 can decide whether to accept the advertisement. In the user terminal 4-1, the message input by the user U1 and sent from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2 is displayed in the chat screen displaying the messages exchanged between the user U1 and the user U2. The message management server 1 may also send an advertisement to the user terminal 4-1 based on the situation that the user U1 selects the message displayed in the message screen. The first sending unit 111 may also send an advertisement to the user terminal 4-1 only when the latest message sent from the user terminal 4-1 is selected. Alternatively, as long as it is a message sent from the user terminal 4-1, the first sending unit 111 may send an advertisement to the user terminal 4-1 when any message is selected.

[0111] The first sending unit 111 may also obtain the content of the advertisement sent to the user terminal 4-1 from the advertisement server 2. The advertisement sent to the user terminal 4-1 may be any advertisement. Alternatively, the first sending unit 111 may also send an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the user U1 to the user terminal 4-1. It is inferred that the user U1 and the user U2 are in a relationship of exchanging messages. Therefore, there may be some common points between the user U1 and the user U2. For example, the user U1 and the user U2 may have a common preference or interest. In this way, if the user U2 has the same attribute as the attribute of the user U1, the effect of the advertisement can be improved. In addition, as described later, it is also possible that the user U1 can select a transaction service by selecting the advertisement sent to the user terminal 4-1, and then the user U1 may perform an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement. In this case, by providing the user U1 with an advertisement corresponding to the user U1, the result of the advertisement can be improved. For example, the first sending unit 111 may also send the user ID of the user U1 to the advertisement server 2. As described later, the advertisement server 2 may transmit an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the user U1 indicated by the user Id to the message management server 1. An example of an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the user U1 will be described later.

[0112] In addition, the first sending unit 111 may also send an advertisement associated with a message sent from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2 to the user terminal 4-1. For example, the first sending unit 111 may also send an advertisement associated with the latest message. The first sending unit 111 may, for example, send the sent message to the advertising server 2. In the case where an advertisement is sent based on the user U1 selecting a message from the chat screen, the first sending unit 111 may also send the selected message to the advertising server 2. As described later, the advertising server 2 may also send an advertisement associated with the message to the message management server 1 based on the message received from the message management server 1. Examples of advertisements associated with messages are described later.

[0113] The operation element display control unit 112 displays the operable operation elements for sending the advertisement sent by the first sending unit 111 to the user terminal 4-2 through the user terminal 4-1. The operation element can be, for example, a user interface element that can perform operations such as selection, and is not limited to a specific element. As examples of operation elements, buttons, links, icons, etc. are cited. For example, the operation element can also be a button called a sharing button. The sharing button is a button for the user U1 to share the advertisement with the user U2. There are various methods for displaying the operation element. For example, in the case where the application for RCS provides a function of displaying the operation element, the operation element display control unit 112 can send a request for displaying the operation element to the user terminal 4-1 when sending an advertisement to the user terminal 4-1. Alternatively, the application for RCS can also provide the following function: a user interface such as a customizable menu can be displayed according to data in a format specified by HTML, etc. In this case, the operation element display control unit 112 can send data for displaying the operation element to the user terminal 4-1, so that the user terminal 4-1 displays the operation element according to the data.

[0114] The second sending unit 113 sends the advertisement sent by the first sending unit 111 to the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2 in response to the user U1 operating the operating element displayed by the user terminal 4-1. For example, the user terminal 4-1 may send the advertisement to the message management server 1, and the message management server 1 may forward the message to the user terminal 4-2. For example, the second sending unit 113 may send the advertisement to the user terminal 4-2 using the same protocol as the protocol used to send the message from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2 in the RCS. Thus, the second sending unit 113 may display the advertisement in the chat screen of the user terminal 4-2. Here, the sent advertisement may also be displayed in the chat screen of the user terminal 4-1. Alternatively, the second sending unit 113 may send the advertisement using a different protocol. In addition, the advertisement may also be displayed in a screen other than the chat screen.

[0115] The second sending unit 113 may send the advertisement to the user terminal 4-2 only when the advertisement sent to the user terminal 4-1 by the first sending unit 111 is an advertisement from a transaction service for which the user U2 has set in advance to receive advertisements. For example, the second sending unit 113 may refer to the advertisement permission information of the user U2 to determine whether to send the advertisement to the user terminal 4-2. In this way, advertisements from transactions that the user U2 does not want can be blocked.

[0116] Next, an example of switching of screens related to advertisement display will be described. Figure 7 and Figure 8is a diagram showing an example of screen switching. User U1 uses the RCS application to select user U2 as the destination of the message. Figure 7 As shown in (a), the user terminal 4-1 displays a chat screen 100-1. The chat screen 100-1 includes a message display area 110 and a message input bar 120. The message display area 110 is an area for displaying messages being sent and received. The message input bar 120 is an area for inputting messages. Here, the user U1 inputs a message in the message input bar 120. For example, a message such as "Father's Day is coming soon. Have you decided what to buy?" is input. Then, the user U1 selects to send the message. In response to this, the user terminal 4-1 sends the message, and, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown in (b) of FIG. 1 , the input message 210 is displayed in the message display area 110. Here, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown in (c) of FIG. 1 , user U1 selects message 210 with finger 310. In response to this, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown in (d), the user terminal 4-1 displays a transaction service menu 400 on the chat screen 100-1. The transaction service menu 400 is a menu for selecting a transaction service for which an advertisement is to be displayed. The transaction service menu 400 includes one or more transaction service buttons 410 and a cancel button 420. The name of the transaction service corresponding to the button can be displayed on each transaction service button 410. Each transaction service button 410 is a button for displaying an advertisement from the transaction service corresponding to the button. For example, the transaction service button 410 can be displayed for all transaction services. Alternatively, the transaction service button 410 can also be displayed for one or more transaction services corresponding to the attributes of the user U1. The cancel button 420 is a button for canceling the selection of the transaction service and making the advertisement not be displayed. In addition, the message management server 1 can also automatically determine the transaction service for obtaining the advertisement. In this case, the user terminal 4-1 can also display the advertisement instead of displaying the transaction service menu 400 after the message is selected.

[0117] When the user U1 selects a transaction service button 410 from the transaction service menu 400, Figure 8As shown in (a), the user terminal 4-1 displays an advertisement 510 and a share button 520. The advertisement 510 is an advertisement from the transaction service selected using the transaction service menu 400. In addition, the advertisement 510 may also be an advertisement associated with the message 210, such as an advertisement associated with Father's Day. Here, when the user U1 selects the advertisement 510, the user terminal 4-1 accesses the transaction service server 3 of the transaction service selected using the transaction service menu 400 according to the distribution link, and displays the content of the transaction object promoted by the advertisement 510, such as a web page. For example, the user terminal 4-1 may also display the content according to the web browser. Alternatively, in the case where the function of the web browser is provided by the application for RCS, the user terminal 4-1 may also display the content through the application. Then, the user U1 can take actions corresponding to the results of the advertisement 510, such as purchasing goods and booking services. However, in this case, the user U1 is not rewarded. Instead, the provider of the RCS may be rewarded.

[0118] like Figure 8 As shown in (b) of FIG. 5 , when the user U1 selects the share button 520, the user terminal 4-1 sends the advertisement 510 to the user terminal 4-2 via the message management server 1. Then, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown in (c) of FIG. 1 , the user terminal 4-1 displays the transmitted advertisement 510 in the message display area 110 of the chat screen 100-1. Figure 8 As shown in (d), user U2 opens chat screen 100-2. Chat screen 100-2 is a chat screen for displaying messages exchanged between user U2 and user U1. Chat screen 100-2 also includes message display area 110 and message input field 120. Figure 8 As shown in (d), the user terminal 4-2 displays the message 210 and the advertisement 510 received from the user terminal 4-1 in the message display area 110 of the chat screen 100-2. Here, when the user U2 selects the advertisement 510, the user terminal 4-2 displays the content of the transaction object promoted by the advertisement 510. Then, when the user U2 performs an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement 510, the user U1 is rewarded. In addition, the provider of the RCS may also be rewarded.

[0119] [3-2.Ad Server]

[0120] Next, use Fig. 9 The following describes an overview of the functions of the system control unit 21 in the advertisement server 2. Fig. 9 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block of the system control unit 21 of the advertisement server 2. The CPU 21a reads various program codes included in the advertisement server program and executes them, thereby Fig. 9As shown, the system control unit 21 functions as an advertisement providing unit 211 , a remuneration giving unit 212 , and the like.

[0121] The advertisement providing unit 211 acquires an advertisement to be provided to the message management server 1 as an advertisement to be transmitted from the message management server 1 to the user terminal 4-1. For example, the advertisement providing unit 211 may randomly determine an advertisement to be acquired, or may acquire a predetermined advertisement.

[0122] Alternatively, the advertisement providing unit 211 may also obtain advertisements corresponding to the attributes of the user U1. Examples of advertisements corresponding to the attributes of the user include advertisements for transaction objects that are estimated to be of interest to the user, advertisements for transaction objects that the user purchases frequently, advertisements for transaction objects in transaction services that the user uses frequently, and advertisements for which the attributes of the user meet the conditions specified by the advertiser. For example, the advertisement providing unit 211 may also determine the advertisement to be provided based on the user attribute information of the user U1 stored in the user attribute DB 24a. For example, in the case where the user attribute information shows the conversion rate of each transaction service for the user U1, the advertisement providing unit 211 may determine a transaction service with a relatively high conversion rate. Furthermore, the advertisement providing unit 211 may obtain the content of the advertisement associated with the service ID of the determined transaction service from the advertisement DB 24b.

[0123] In addition, for example, in the advertisement DB 24b, a condition of a user's attribute may be stored for each advertisement, and the condition of the user's attribute may be used to prompt the advertisement. The condition may include, for example, gender, age, place of residence, or occupation. The condition may be set by the advertiser. In this case, the advertisement providing unit 211 may obtain data of an advertisement whose attribute indicated by the user attribute information matches the condition from the advertisement DB 24b.

[0124] In addition, for example, the advertisement providing unit 211 may also obtain information of a transaction object corresponding to the attribute of the user U1 from the transaction service server 3. Moreover, the advertisement providing unit 211 may also determine the advertisement to be provided based on the obtained information. For example, the advertisement providing unit 211 may also send information for identifying the user U1 in the transaction service server 3 to the transaction service server 3. The transaction service server 3 may send information of a transaction object corresponding to the attribute of the user represented by the sent information to the advertisement server 2. The information for identifying the user may be, for example, a user ID in the RCS. When the information for identifying the user U1 in the transaction service server 3 and the user ID in the RCS are different, the information may be associated with the user ID and stored in the storage unit 14. In this case, the advertisement providing unit 211 may also send the information associated with the user ID of the user U1 to the transaction service server 3. In the transaction service server 3, the conversion rate of the user may also be stored for each user who uses the corresponding transaction service according to each transaction object, each category of the transaction object, or each advertiser. The conversion rate in this case may be, for example, the ratio of the number of times a specific user accesses the transaction service by selecting an advertisement to the number of times the user performs actions corresponding to the results of the advertisement on the transaction object corresponding to the advertisement (or any transaction object belonging to the category of the transaction object, or any transaction object handled by the advertiser of the seller of the transaction object). For example, the transaction service server 3 can calculate the conversion rate at any time. The conversion rate can be calculated not only for advertisements displayed in the RCS, but also for advertisements displayed in other systems. The transaction service server 3 can also determine one or more transaction objects with relatively high conversion rates. The transaction service server 3 can send the transaction object ID of the determined transaction object to the message management server 1. At this time, the transaction service server 3 can send the conversion rate corresponding to the transaction object ID together with the transaction object ID.

[0125] The advertisement providing unit 211 may also obtain an advertisement associated with a message sent from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2. The advertisement associated with the message may be, for example, an advertisement of a transaction object or advertiser associated with the message or a word contained in the message, or an advertisement in which the advertisement itself is associated with the message or a word. For example, the advertisement providing unit 211 may segment the message into morphemes by morpheme analysis. Then, the advertisement providing unit 211 may extract, for example, nouns from the morphemes as keywords. In addition, for example, keywords associated with the advertisement, advertiser, or transaction object may be stored for each advertisement in the advertisement DB 24b. The keywords may be set by the advertiser, for example. Moreover, the advertisement providing unit 211 may also obtain the content of the advertisement associated with the keyword consistent with the keyword contained in the sent message from the advertisement DB 24b. Alternatively, the advertisement providing unit 211 may also obtain the advertisement associated with the message from the transaction service server 3 by sending the message sent from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2 or the keywords contained in the message to the transaction service server 3. For example, the transaction service server 3 may store content information indicating content such as a web page that can be published to the user terminal 4 for each transaction object. The content information may include, for example, the name or title of the transaction object and information about text published in the content. The content information may be, for example, an HTML document for displaying a web page. The transaction service server 3 may, for example, retrieve one or more transaction objects whose keywords sent from the advertising server 2 are included in the content information. Furthermore, the transaction service server 3 may send the transaction object ID of the retrieved transaction object to the message management server 1.

[0126] In the case where there are multiple candidates for advertisements to be provided to the message management server 1, the advertisement providing unit 211 may also determine the advertisement to be provided by, for example, so-called real-time bidding. For example, the message management server 1 may obtain the unit price of each candidate advertisement from the advertisement DB 24b, and determine the advertisement with the highest unit price as the advertisement to be provided. In the case where the conversion rate is obtained from the transaction service server 3 for each advertisement, the advertisement providing unit 211 may determine the advertisement to be provided based on the unit price of the advertisement and the conversion rate. For example, the advertisement providing unit 211 may substitute the unit price of the advertisement and the conversion rate into a prescribed calculation formula to calculate the score. Then, the advertisement providing unit 211 may determine the advertisement with the highest score as the advertisement to be provided. For example, the advertisement providing unit 211 may calculate the score in the following manner, namely, the higher the unit price of the advertisement, the higher the score, and the higher the conversion rate, the higher the score.

[0127] When an advertisement is determined, the advertisement providing unit 211 attaches the user ID of the user U1 to the advertisement and sends the advertisement to the message management server 1. For example, the advertisement providing unit 211 can generate control data for displaying an advertisement. The advertisement providing unit 211 can send the content of the advertisement including the control data and the advertisement image. The control data may also include a tag or command for displaying the image of the advertisement. In addition, the control data may include a distribution link. The distribution link may include the user ID of the user U1, the advertisement ID corresponding to the determined advertisement, and the link destination URL. In addition, the distribution link may also include at least one of the RCS-ID and the chat ID. In addition, for example, the distribution link may include a URL assigned to the advertisement server 2. In this case, the distribution link can be generated in such a way that the user terminal 4 first accesses the advertisement server 2 when the user selects the advertisement. The advertisement server 2 redirects the access from the user terminal 4 so that the user terminal 4 accesses the information represented by the link destination URL.

[0128] The reward granting unit 212 performs a process of granting a reward to the user U1 based on the fact that the user U2 has selected the advertisement sent by the second sending unit 113 of the message management server 1 and has performed an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement. The advertisement sent by the second sending unit 113 is attached with the user ID of the user U1 as the distributor ID. In response to the user U2 selecting the advertisement, the user ID attached to the advertisement is sent from the user terminal 4-2 and stored. Then, in response to the user U2 performing an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement, the reward granting unit 212 can obtain the stored user ID and determine the user to whom the reward is given based on the obtained user ID.

[0129] For example, the user ID of the user U1 may be sent from the user terminal 4-2 to the advertisement server 2. For example, the user terminal 4-2 accesses the advertisement server 2 according to the distribution link included in the advertisement. At this time, the remuneration granting unit 212 may obtain the user ID of the user U1. The remuneration granting unit 212 may store the obtained user ID in the advertisement selection history DB 24c as a distributor ID. Alternatively, the remuneration granting unit 212 may send the obtained user ID to the user terminal 4-2 as a cookie of the advertisement server 2. Thus, the user ID of the user U1 may be stored in the user terminal 4-2. The remuneration granting unit 212 may also generate a new tracking ID, associate the tracking ID with the user ID of the user U1 and store it in the advertisement selection history DB 24c. Furthermore, the remuneration granting unit 212 may send a response including the tracking ID to the user terminal 4-2. Thus, the remuneration granting unit 212 may send a request including the tracking ID from the user terminal 4-2 to the transaction service server 3 by redirection. Furthermore, the tracking ID may be stored by the transaction service server 3. Alternatively, the tracking ID may be sent to the user terminal 4-2 as a cookie of the transaction service server 3 and stored in the user terminal 4-2. In the transaction service, when the user completes the action corresponding to the result of the advertisement, a thank you page is displayed. The thank you page is one of the contents. The thank you page is embedded with information for notifying the advertisement server 2 of the situation that the conversion is completed. The embedded information may be, for example, a so-called conversion tag or a program. When the user U2 performs an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement, the transaction service server 3 sends the thank you page to the user terminal 4-2. The user terminal 4-2 sends the tracking ID stored in the transaction service server 3 or the user terminal 4-2 to the advertisement server 2 according to the information contained in the thank you page. The reward granting unit 212 obtains the advertisement selection log associated with the tracking ID received from the user terminal 4-2. Thus, the reward granting unit 212 can determine the situation that the action corresponding to the result of the advertisement is performed. The reward granting unit 212 obtains the distributor ID from the obtained advertisement selection log. The reward granting unit 212 can determine the user to whom the reward is given based on the distributor ID. Alternatively, the user ID of the user U1 included in the advertisement may also be sent from the user terminal 4-2 to the transaction service server 3. Moreover, the user ID may be stored in the transaction service server 3 or in the user terminal 4-2 as a cookie. Furthermore, when the user terminal 4-2 displays the thank-you page, the user terminal 4-2 may send the stored user ID to the advertisement server 2. Furthermore, when the user U2 performs an action corresponding to the success of the advertisement, the transaction service server 3 may send the tracking ID to the advertisement server 2 instead of the user terminal 4-2.

[0130] When the user U1 to whom the remuneration is to be assigned is determined, the remuneration assigning unit 212 performs the process of assigning the remuneration to the user U1. For example, the remuneration assigning unit 212 may determine the specified proportion of the advertising unit price of the corresponding advertisement as the remuneration amount. When the remuneration is points, the remuneration assigning unit 212 may also add the number of points equivalent to the remuneration amount to the number of points held by the user U1. When the remuneration is legal tender, the information of the deposit account of each user may be stored in the member DB 14a. The remuneration assigning unit 212 may, for example, access the online system of the bank, and, based on the information of the deposit account of the user U1, remit the deposit currency equivalent to the remuneration amount from the deposit account of the transaction service established by the conversion, the deposit account of the advertiser, or the deposit account of the advertising publishing enterprise using the advertising server 2 to the deposit account of the user U1. The assignment of remuneration may be carried out in real time or periodically (for example, every month).

[0131] The reward granting unit 212 can perform a process of granting a reward to the user U1, and perform a process of granting a reward to the operator of the RCS system that sent the message from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2. The application or chat screen used for RCS is an advertising medium in a certain sense. It is considered appropriate to grant a reward to the provider of the advertising medium. In this case, the reward is distributed to the user U1 and the operator. The advertisement sent from the message management server 1 may also include information indicating the operator of the RCS. This information may be at least one of the RCS-ID or the chat ID. The information indicating the operator of the RCS can be stored in the advertising server 2, the transaction service server 3, or the user terminal 4-2 by the same method as the method using the user ID of the user U1. Moreover, the reward granting unit 212 can determine the operator to be given a reward by the same method as the method using the user ID of the user U1. In the case of the chat ID, the reward granting unit 212 can, for example, send a query containing the chat ID to each message management server 1. Each message management server 1 can retrieve the chat ID contained in the query in the chat DB 14c, and send a reply to the advertising server 2 indicating whether the chat ID exists. The reward granting unit 212 can determine the operator of the RCS to be granted a reward based on the response from each message management server 1 .

[0132] Furthermore, after the user U1 selects the advertisement displayed on the user terminal 4 - 1 , even if the user U1 takes an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement, the user U1 is not rewarded. In this case, the reward giving unit 212 may give a reward to the provider of the RCS.

[0133] [4. Operation of the advertising system]

[0134] Next, use Fig.10 and Fig.13 The operation of the advertisement system S will be described. Figure 10 to Figure 13 This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the advertisement system S according to the present embodiment.

[0135] User U1 enters a message in the input field 120 of the chat screen 100-1 and selects Send. Fig.10 As shown, the user terminal 4-1 sends the input message and the chat ID of the chat room corresponding to the chat screen 100-1 to the message management server 1 (step S101). In addition, the user terminal 4-1 displays the sent message in the message display area 110 (step S102). The message management server 1 obtains the user ID stored in the chat DB 14c in association with the chat ID received from the user terminal 4-1. The message management server 1 determines the forwarding destination of the message, that is, the user U2, based on the obtained user ID. The message management server 1 forwards the message and the chat ID received from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2 used by the user U2 (step S103). The user terminal 4-2 that receives the message and the chat ID displays the message in the message display area of ​​the chat screen 100-2 corresponding to the chat ID (step S104).

[0136] Then, the user U1 selects a message displayed in the chat screen 100-1 (step S105). In response, the user terminal 4-1 sends a transaction service menu request including the selected message to the message management server 1 (step S106). The first sending unit 111 of the message management server 1 that receives the transaction service menu request sends a transaction service request including the user ID of the user U1 to the advertising server 2 (step S107). The advertisement providing unit 211 of the advertising server 2 obtains the user ID in the transaction service request received from the message management server 1. Then, the advertisement providing unit 211 determines the transaction service corresponding to the attribute of the user represented by the user ID (step S108). For example, the advertisement providing unit 211 refers to the advertisement permission information stored in the advertisement permission information DB14b in association with the user ID, and extracts the transaction service for which the user U1 will accept the advertisement. In addition, the advertisement providing unit 211 obtains the user attribute information stored in the user attribute DB24a in association with the user ID. The advertisement providing unit 211 compares the conversion rates of each extracted transaction service with each other based on the user attribute information. The advertisement providing unit 211 may, for example, determine the transaction service with the highest conversion rate. Alternatively, the advertisement providing unit 211 may also determine one or more transaction services with a conversion rate above a specified value. The advertisement providing unit 211 sends a transaction service response including the service ID of the determined transaction service to the message management server 1 (step S109). The first sending unit 111 of the message management server 1 that receives the transaction service response generates data for displaying a transaction service menu 400, which includes a button 410 for the transaction service indicated by the service ID included in the transaction service response. The first sending unit 111 sends a transaction service menu response including the generated data to the user terminal 4-1 (step S110). The user terminal 4-1 displays the transaction service menu 400 on the screen according to the transaction service menu response received from the message management server 1 (step S111).

[0137] Then, if Fig.11As shown, the user U1 selects any transaction service button 410 from the menu 400 (step S201). In response, the user terminal 4-1 sends an advertisement request including the service ID of the transaction service corresponding to the selected transaction service button 410 to the message management server 1 (step S202). The first sending unit 111 of the message management server 1 obtains the service ID in the advertisement request received from the user terminal 4-1. Then, the first sending unit 111 sends an advertisement request to the advertisement server 2 (step S203), the advertisement request including the service ID, the message received from the user terminal 4-1 in step S106, the user ID of the user U1, and the chat ID of the chat room corresponding to the chat screen 100-1 of the user terminal 4-1. The advertisement providing unit 211 of the advertisement server 2 obtains the service ID, the message, and the user ID in the advertisement request received from the message management server 1. The advertisement providing unit 211 extracts keywords from the message. Then, the advertisement providing unit 211 sends a search request including a keyword and a user ID to the transaction service server 3 corresponding to the service ID obtained from the advertisement request (step S204). The transaction service server 3 obtains the keyword in the search request received from the message management server. The transaction service server 3 searches for transaction objects associated with content information including the keyword among the transaction objects that have placed advertisements on the advertisement system S, for example, in the transaction service corresponding to the transaction service server 3. For each transaction object retrieved, the transaction service server 3 obtains the conversion rate of the user indicated by the user ID included in the search request. Then, the transaction service server 3 extracts one or more transaction objects with relatively high conversion rates from the retrieved transaction objects. The transaction service server 3 sends a search result including the transaction object ID and conversion rate of the extracted transaction object to the advertisement server 2 (step S205).

[0138] The advertisement providing unit 211 of the advertisement server 2 that has received the search result determines the advertisement to be provided to the message management server 1 (step S206). For example, the advertisement providing unit 211 obtains the advertisement unit price associated with the transaction object ID included in the search result from the advertisement DB 24b. Then, the advertisement providing unit 211 determines the advertisement based on the advertisement unit price and the conversion rate included in the search result. Next, the advertisement providing unit 211 generates the content of the determined advertisement. For example, the advertisement providing unit 211 obtains the advertisement ID, service ID, and advertisement image of the determined advertisement from the advertisement DB 24b. The advertisement providing unit 211 generates a distribution link, which includes the advertisement ID, service ID, link destination URL, user ID of the user U1, RCS-ID of the message management server 1 that sent the advertisement request, and chat ID of the chat room corresponding to the chat screen 100-1 of the user terminal 4-1. In addition, the advertisement providing unit 211 generates control data including a tag or command for displaying the advertisement image. The advertisement providing unit 211 sends the advertisement content including the control data and the advertisement image to the message management server 1 (step S207). The first sending unit 111 of the message management server 1 that has received the advertisement content sends the advertisement content together with data for displaying a sharing button to the user terminal 4-1 (step S208). The user terminal 4-1 that has received the advertisement content displays an advertisement image on the screen according to the advertisement content, and displays a sharing button according to the data received together with the advertisement content (step S209).

[0139] Then, when the user U1 selects the share button (step S210), the user terminal 4-1 sends the advertisement content and the chat ID of the chat room corresponding to the chat screen 100-1 to the message management server 1 (step S211). The second sending unit 113 of the message management server 1 obtains the user ID stored in the chat DB 14c in association with the chat ID received from the user terminal 4-1. The message management server 1 determines the user U2, which is the forwarding destination of the advertisement content, based on the obtained user ID. The message management server 1 forwards the advertisement content and the chat ID received from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2 used by the user U2 (step S212). The user terminal 4-2 that receives the advertisement content and the chat ID displays the advertisement image in the message display area of ​​the chat screen 100-2 corresponding to the chat ID according to the advertisement content (step S213). In addition, the second sending unit 113 can obtain the advertisement permission information associated with the user ID of the user U2 from the advertisement permission information DB 14b. The second transmitting unit 113 may refer to the advertisement permission information and not forward the advertisement content if the user U2 does not accept the advertisement from the transaction service indicated by the service ID included in the advertisement content.

[0140] Then, if Fig.12As shown, user U2 selects the advertisement displayed in the chat screen 100-2 (step S301). In response, the user terminal 4-2 sends a content request including the URL set in the distribution link included in the advertisement content to the advertisement server 2 (step S302). The remuneration granting unit 212 of the advertisement server 2 that receives the content request obtains the user ID, advertisement ID, service ID, RCS-ID, chat ID, and link destination URL of the user U1 from the URL included in the content request. The remuneration granting unit 212 generates a new tracking ID and generates an advertisement selection log including the information obtained from the content request and the user ID of the user U2. The user ID of the user U1 is included in the advertisement selection log as a distributor ID. The user ID of the user U2 is included in the advertisement selection log as a selection user ID. The remuneration granting unit 212 stores the generated advertisement selection log in the advertisement selection history DB 24c (step S303). Next, the remuneration granting unit 212 sends a redirect response including the tracking ID and the link destination URL to the user terminal 4-2 (step S304).

[0141] The user terminal 4-2 sends a content request including a tracking ID and a link destination URL to the transaction service server 3 corresponding to the link destination URL according to the redirect response received from the advertising server 2 (step S305). The transaction service server 3 that receives the content request associates the tracking ID included in the content request with the user ID of the user U2 and stores them. In addition, the transaction service server 3 sends the content identified by the link destination URL to the user terminal 4-2 (step S306). The user terminal 4-2 displays the content received from the transaction service server 3 (step S307).

[0142] Then, if Fig.13As shown, user U2 uses the transaction service provided by the transaction service server 3 that sends the content to perform an operation, which is an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement displayed in the user terminal 4-2, such as the purchase of the goods promoted by the advertisement (step S401). In response to this, the user terminal 4-2 sends a transaction establishment request to the transaction service server 3 (step S402). The transaction service server 3 that receives the transaction establishment request, for example, performs a process for establishing the transaction corresponding to the action corresponding to the result of the advertisement. Then, the transaction service server 3 sends a thank-you page containing a tracking ID stored in association with the user ID of user U2 to the user terminal 4-2 (step S403). The user terminal 4-2 sends the tracking ID to the advertising server 2 according to the conversion tag and the like contained in the thank-you page received from the transaction service server 3 (step S404). The reward granting unit 212 of the advertising server 2 that receives the tracking ID determines the reward corresponding to the result of the advertisement (step S405). For example, the reward granting unit 212 obtains the advertisement selection log associated with the tracking ID from the advertisement selection history DB24c. The remuneration granting unit 212 obtains the advertisement ID from the advertisement selection log. The remuneration granting unit 212 obtains the advertisement unit price associated with the advertisement ID from the advertisement selection unit 24b. The remuneration granting unit 212 multiplies the advertisement unit price by a predetermined first ratio, thereby calculating the distributor remuneration amount. In addition, the remuneration granting unit 212 multiplies the advertisement unit price by a predetermined second ratio, thereby calculating the RCS remuneration amount. In addition, the remuneration granting unit 212 obtains the RCS-ID, the chat ID, and the distributor ID from the advertisement selection log. The remuneration granting unit 212 generates remuneration information including the obtained information and the determined remuneration amount. The remuneration granting unit 212 stores the generated remuneration information in the remuneration DB 24d.

[0143] Then, the remuneration granting unit 212 grants remuneration to the user, for example, at the end of the month (step S406). For example, the remuneration granting unit 212 retrieves remuneration information including the user ID of the user as the distributor ID for each user from the remuneration information stored in the remuneration DB 24d in the past month. The remuneration granting unit 212 totals the distributor remuneration amount contained in the retrieved remuneration information. Then, the remuneration granting unit 212 adds the number of points equivalent to the total amount to the number of points held by the target user, thereby updating the number of points held stored in the member DB 14a. In addition, the remuneration granting unit 212 grants remuneration to the provider of RCS (step S407). For example, the remuneration granting unit 212 retrieves remuneration information including the RCS-ID of the provider for each provider from the remuneration information stored in the remuneration DB 24d in the past month. The remuneration granting unit 212 totals the RCS remuneration amount contained in the retrieved remuneration information. Then, the remuneration granting unit 212 accesses the online system of the bank and remits the deposit currency equivalent to the total amount to the deposit account of the provider of RCS.

[0144] In addition, Fig.11 In step S210 shown in FIG. 1 , if the user U1 selects the advertisement instead of the share button, the same steps as those in FIG. 1 are performed except that the user and the user terminal 4 are different. Fig.12 and Fig.13 However, since the distributor ID and the selecting user ID included in the advertisement selection log stored in step S303 are the same, the remuneration granting unit 212 may determine the distributor remuneration amount to zero in step S405.

[0145] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the message management server 1 sends an advertisement to the user terminal 4-1 based on the fact that a message is sent from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2. In addition, the message management server 1 causes the user terminal 4-1 to display an operable operation element for sending the advertisement sent to the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2. In addition, the message management server 1 sends the advertisement sent by the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2 in response to the fact that the user U1 operates the operation element displayed in the user terminal 4-1. In addition, the advertisement server 2 performs a process of giving a reward to the user U1 based on the fact that the user U2 has performed an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement after selecting the advertisement sent to the user terminal 4-2. Therefore, by sending a message, the sender can obtain an advertisement that can obtain a reward for the result of the advertisement.

[0146] Here, the advertisement sent by the message management server 1 to the user terminal 4-1 may be an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the user U1. User U1 sent a message to user U2, so it is inferred that user U1 and user U2 are in a relationship of exchanging messages. Therefore, there may be some common attributes between user U1 and user U2. The common attribute may be a potential attribute that cannot be determined based on the actions of user U2 itself or the situation of the publisher. Therefore, by prompting user U2 with an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of user U1, the effect of the advertisement can be improved.

[0147] In addition, the advertisement sent by the message management server 1 to the user terminal 4-1 may also be an advertisement associated with the message sent from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2. As described above, it is inferred that the user U1 and the user U2 are in a relationship of exchanging messages. Therefore, the matter associated with the message sent by the user U1 may be a matter of interest to the user U2. By prompting the user U2 with advertisements that the user U2 may be interested in, the effect of the advertisement can be improved.

[0148] In addition, the message management server 1 may also send an advertisement to the user terminal 4-1 based on the user U1 selecting a message displayed on the chat screen 100-1 of the user terminal 4-1. In this case, the advertisement is sent to the user terminal 4-1 based on the user U1 selecting a message sent by the user U1 on the screen. Here, when the message management server 1 sends an advertisement associated with a message sent from the user terminal 4-1 to the user terminal 4-2, the user U1 can select which message to receive the advertisement associated with.

[0149] In addition, the message management server 1 may also send an advertisement to which a user ID for identifying the user U1 as the user to be rewarded is attached. In addition, in response to the user U2 selecting the advertisement sent by the message management server 1 to the user terminal 4-2, the user ID attached to the advertisement may be sent from the user terminal 4-2 and stored. In addition, in response to the user U2 performing an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement, the advertisement server 2 may obtain the stored user ID and determine the user to be rewarded based on the user ID. In this case, the user to be rewarded can be appropriately determined.

[0150] Furthermore, the advertisement server 2 may also perform a process of giving compensation to the user U1 and a process of giving compensation to the operator of the message system based on the fact that the user U2 has selected the advertisement sent to the user terminal 4-2 and has performed an action corresponding to the result of the advertisement. In this case, the provider of the advertising media can be compensated for the result of the advertisement.

[0151] Furthermore, the message management server 1 may display an advertisement on the chat screen 100-2 of the user terminal 4-2. In this case, the advertisement can be displayed together with the message transmitted from the user terminal 4-1 by the user terminal 4-2.

Claims

1. An information communication system, characterized in that: The information communication system comprises: a data transmission unit for transmitting, in response to a message being transmitted from a first terminal device used by a first user to a second terminal device used by a second user and the first user selecting the message transmitted from the first terminal device to the second terminal device on the first user screen after the message transmitted from the first terminal device to the second terminal device is displayed on the first user screen by the first terminal device, data for causing the first user screen to display a menu that selects one or more transaction services that enable transactions of transaction objects on a website and for which the conversion rate of the first user is greater than a predetermined value, wherein the first user screen displays messages transmitted and received between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; a first transmission unit for transmitting an advertisement from the selected transaction service among the one or more transaction services to the first terminal device when the first user selects any transaction service among the one or more transaction services from the menu displayed on the first user screen based on the transmitted data; a display control unit configured to cause the first terminal device to display an operable operation element for transmitting the advertisement transmitted by the first transmitting unit to the second terminal device; a second transmission unit for transmitting the advertisement transmitted by the first transmission unit to the second terminal device in response to the first user operating the displayed operation element; and The awarding unit performs processing for awarding the reward to the first user based on the fact that it is determined that the second user has performed an action corresponding to a result of the advertisement after selecting the advertisement transmitted by the second transmitting unit.

2. The information communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The advertisement transmitted by the first transmitting unit is an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the first user.

3. The information communication system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The advertisement transmitted by the first transmitting unit is an advertisement associated with the transmitted message.

4. The information communication system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: the first transmission unit transmits the advertisement to which identification information for identifying the first user as a user to whom the reward is to be given is added, In response to the second user selecting the advertisement transmitted by the second transmitting unit, the identification information attached to the advertisement is transmitted from the second terminal device and stored. The awarding unit acquires the stored identification information in response to the second user performing the action, and specifies a user to whom the reward is to be awarded based on the acquired identification information.

5. The information communication system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The message is sent from the first terminal device to the second terminal device through a message system capable of sending and receiving messages between a plurality of terminal devices. The granting unit executes a process of granting the reward to the first user and a process of granting the reward to the operator of the message system.

6. The information communication system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: the second terminal device displays the sent message on a second user screen that displays messages sent and received between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, The second sending unit causes the second user screen to display the advertisement.

7. An information communication method, which is executed by a computer, characterized in that: The information communication method comprises the following steps: a data sending step, in response to a message being sent from a first terminal device used by a first user to a second terminal device used by a second user and the first user selecting the message sent from the first terminal device to the second terminal device on the first user screen after the message sent from the first terminal device to the second terminal device is displayed on the first user screen by the first terminal device, sending data to the first terminal device for causing the first user screen to display a menu that selects one or more transaction services that enable transactions of transaction objects on a website and for which the conversion rate of the first user is greater than a specified value, wherein the first user screen displays messages sent and received between the first terminal device and the second terminal device; a first sending step of sending an advertisement from the selected one or more transaction services to the first terminal device when the first user selects any one of the one or more transaction services from the menu displayed on the first user screen based on the sent data; a display control step of causing the first terminal device to display an operable operation element for transmitting the advertisement transmitted in the first transmission step to the second terminal device; a second sending step of sending the advertisement sent in the first sending step to the second terminal device in response to the first user operating the displayed operation element; and The granting step performs processing for granting the reward to the first user based on the fact that it is determined that the second user has performed an action corresponding to a result of the advertisement after selecting the advertisement transmitted in the second transmitting step.

8. The information communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The advertisement transmitted in the first transmission step is an advertisement corresponding to the attribute of the first user.

9. The information communication method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The advertisement sent in the first sending step is an advertisement associated with the sent message.

10. The information communication method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: In the first sending step, the advertisement is sent to which identification information is added for identifying the first user as a user to whom the reward is to be given, In response to the second user selecting the advertisement transmitted in the second transmitting step, the identification information attached to the advertisement is transmitted from the second terminal device and stored. In the granting step, in response to the second user performing the action, the stored identification information is acquired, and a user to whom the reward is to be granted is determined based on the acquired identification information.

11. The information communication method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The message is sent from the first terminal device to the second terminal device through a message system capable of sending and receiving messages between a plurality of terminal devices. In the granting step, a process of granting the reward to the first user and a process of granting the reward to the operator of the message system are executed.

12. The information communication method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: the second terminal device displays the sent message on a second user screen that displays messages sent and received between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, In the second sending step, the advertisement is displayed on the second user screen.

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