Information notification method, terminal device, information processing device, and information notification program

Abstract

To provide an information notification method, a terminal device, an information processing device, and an information notification program that optimize information transmission.SOLUTION: A method includes: acquiring the current position of a user and a moving or staying time of the user, and action history information representing at least one of a post to a social networking service by the user and a payment action by the user; estimating whether a reference action purpose of the user is attained based upon the action history information on the user; and notifying the user of proposal information including information related to other action purposes after it is estimated that the reference action purpose is attained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] As the capacity and speed of mobile data communication increases, attempts are being made to induce new behavior and stimulate economic activity by delivering information according to the user's context information (location information, time period, preferences, etc.). An example of such information delivery technology is the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-71353 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A reference method is considered in which information is delivered simply based on context information. However, in the reference method, a new objective (e.g., a destination related to the new objective) is suggested before the user achieves the objective that was originally planned. As a result, it is conceivable that the user may find the information delivery service bothersome and avoid it. In Patent Document 1, a camera inside the vehicle is used to detect that the user is looking for a stopover, and suggestions of nearby stores are displayed on the vehicle-mounted display, etc., but this requires the use of a vehicle and an in-vehicle camera. In the present invention, information is delivered at an appropriate timing adapted to the user's situation without using such configurations.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information notification method, a terminal device, an information processing device, and an information notification program that contribute to optimizing information transmission. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information notification method according to the present invention is an information notification method performed by a CPU, which obtains behavioral history information indicating at least one of a user's current location, the user's movement or stay time, the user's posting to a social networking service, and the user's payment behavior, estimates whether the user has achieved his or her purpose at a target facility based on the behavioral history information at the target facility where the user is located, and provides the user with suggestion information suggesting that the user stop by another facility at the time when it is estimated that the purpose has been achieved. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information notification method, a terminal device, an information processing device, and an information notification program that contribute to optimizing information transmission. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of user information according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the system according to a first example of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents displayed on a terminal device when reference objective information is input according to a first example of the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which base proposal information is displayed on a terminal device according to a first example belonging to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which detailed proposal information is displayed on a terminal device according to a first example belonging to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which detailed proposal information is displayed on a terminal device according to a first example belonging to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 4 is an operation flowchart of a system according to a first example belonging to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] 4 is an operation flowchart of a system according to a first example belonging to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions of the same parts are omitted as a rule. In this specification, for the sake of simplicity, by writing a symbol or code referring to information, signal, physical quantity, functional part, circuit, element, or part, the name of the information, signal, physical quantity, functional part, circuit, element, or part corresponding to the symbol or code may be omitted or abbreviated.

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a schematic overall configuration diagram of the system SYS according to this embodiment. The system SYS can be called an information notification system or an information processing system. The system SYS includes a server device 10 and a terminal device 20. The server device 10 and the terminal device 20 are wirelessly connected via a predetermined communication network NET, and are capable of two-way communication with each other via the communication network NET. The communication network NET includes all or part of a satellite communication network, a mobile communication network, the Internet, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), and a short-range wireless communication line. The wireless LAN may be, for example, compliant with Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The short-range wireless communication line may be, for example, compliant with Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0011] In practice, a plurality of terminal devices are wirelessly connected to the server device 10 via a communication network NET, and the system SYS is used by a plurality of users corresponding to the plurality of terminal devices. However, unless otherwise specified below, attention is focused on one terminal device 20 among the plurality of terminal devices, and the user of the terminal device 20 is particularly referred to as a "user of interest." The user of interest is a person who operates and possesses the terminal device 20. For example, electronic devices such as a smartphone, a tablet, or a personal computer can be used as the terminal device 20.

[0012] [Server device] The server device 10 includes a server control unit 11, a server memory 12, a server communication unit 13, a database 14, and a date and time information acquisition unit 15. The server device 10 is configured with one or more computer devices connected to a communication network NET. The server device 10 may be configured using cloud computing.

[0013] The server control unit 11 is a controller that controls the operation of each part in the server device 10. The server control unit 11 includes a calculation processing unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) as hardware resources. The server control unit 11 has function blocks 111 to 114. The function blocks 111 to 114 are realized by the server control unit 11 executing a server program PG1 described later, and the functions of the function blocks 111 to 114 will be described later.

[0014] The server memory 12 includes a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read only memory) or a flash memory, and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random access memory). The server control unit 11 can execute any program in the server memory 12. The server memory 12 holds a server program PG1 as a characteristic program according to the present invention. All or a part of the server memory 12 may be a memory built into the server control unit 11. All operations of the server control unit 11 described in this embodiment may be operations that are realized by the server control unit 11 executing the server program PG1.

[0015] The server communication unit 13 is a functional block that realizes communication with a counterpart device. The communication can be one-way communication, but here it is assumed to be two-way communication. The counterpart device for the server device 10 includes the terminal device 20. The server communication unit 13 (and therefore the server device 10) communicates with the counterpart device via the communication network NET. In this way, the server device 10 communicates with the counterpart device using the server communication unit 13, but in the following explanation, the description of the server communication unit 13 may be omitted.

[0016] The database 14 is a large-capacity recording medium that stores any information referenced by the server control unit 11. The server control unit 11 can write any information to the database 14 and can read any information from the database 14. The database 14 is provided with a user information storage unit 141, a behavior history storage unit 142, a target information storage unit 143, and a distribution information storage unit 144, the details of which will be described later. The database 14 may be composed of one or more recording media separated from each other. A part or all of the database 14 may be an external recording device provided outside the server device 20 and connected to the communication network NET.

[0017] The date and time information acquisition unit 15 acquires date and time information indicating the current date and time. The date and time information acquired by the date and time information acquisition unit 15 is provided to the server control unit 11. The date and time information acquisition unit 15 may acquire date and time information from any server device (not shown) that is different from the server device 10 and connected to the communication network NET. The date and time information provided to the server control unit 11 may also be information generated by the terminal device 20, in which case the date and time information acquisition unit 15 may be considered to be a part provided in the terminal device 20. In any case, as long as the date and time information is provided to the server control unit 11 in a manner that allows the server control unit 11 to recognize the current date and time, the entity that generates and acquires the date and time information is arbitrary.

[0018] [Terminal Device] The terminal device 20 includes a terminal control unit 21 , a terminal memory 22 , a terminal communication unit 23 , a user interface 24 , and a GPS processing unit 25 .

[0019] The terminal control unit 21 is a controller that controls the operation of each part in the terminal device 20. The terminal control unit 21 includes a calculation processing unit including a CPU, a GPU, etc. as hardware resources. The terminal control unit 21 has function blocks 211 to 213. The terminal control unit 21 executes a terminal program PG2 described later to realize the function blocks 211 to 213, and each function of the function blocks 211 to 213 will be described later.

[0020] The terminal memory 22 includes non-volatile memory such as ROM or flash memory, and volatile memory such as RAM. The terminal control unit 21 can execute any program in the terminal memory 22. The terminal memory 22 holds a terminal program PG2 as a characteristic program according to the present invention. All or a part of the terminal memory 22 may be memory built into the terminal control unit 21. All operations of the terminal control unit 21 described in this embodiment may be operations that are realized by the terminal control unit 21 executing the terminal program PG2.

[0021] The terminal communication unit 23 is a functional block that realizes communication with a counterpart device. The communication can be one-way communication, but here it is assumed to be two-way communication. The counterpart device for the terminal device 20 includes the server device 10. The terminal communication unit 23 (and therefore the terminal device 20) communicates with the counterpart device via the communication network NET. In this way, the terminal device 20 communicates with the counterpart device using the terminal communication unit 23, but in the following explanation, the description of the terminal communication unit 23 may be omitted.

[0022] The user interface 24 is a man-machine interface between the terminal device 20 and the noted user, and outputs any information to the noted user and receives any information from the noted user. The user interface 24 includes an operation unit 241, a microphone 242, a display screen 243, and a speaker 244. The operation unit 241 receives input of any operation from the noted user. The microphone 242 collects sounds around the microphone 242 and converts the collected sounds into an electrical signal. The sounds around the microphone 242 include the voice of the noted user's speech. The display screen 243 is configured with a liquid crystal display panel or the like, and displays any image under the control of the terminal control unit 21. The operation unit 241 and the display screen 243 may form a touch panel, and the operation on the operation unit 241 may be an operation on the touch panel. The speaker 244 outputs any sound under the control of the terminal control unit 21. In this embodiment, the display refers to the display on the display screen 243 unless otherwise specified. It is understood that the operation or input of information to the operation unit 241 and the operation or input of information to the terminal device 20 are synonymous with each other.

[0023] The GPS processing unit 25 generates location information indicating the location (location) of the terminal device 20. The location information is provided to the terminal control unit 21. The GPS processing unit 25 updates the location information at a predetermined cycle. In this embodiment, the noted user is assumed to move together with the terminal device 20 while carrying it. Therefore, the location of the terminal device 20 is also the location of the noted user, and the location information is interpreted as indicating the location (location) of the noted user. The GPS processing unit 25 generates the location information by receiving signals from a plurality of GPS satellites forming a GPS (Global Positioning System). The location information may be generated based on signals from a group of satellites forming a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System).

[0024] [Function block] Next, a description will be given of the functional blocks 111-114 in the server control unit 11 and the functional blocks 211-213 in the terminal control unit 21. The functional blocks 111, 112, 113, and 114 are a user information management unit, a behavior history management unit, a goal achievement estimation unit, and a delivery control unit, respectively. The functional blocks 211, 212, and 213 are a position information acquisition unit, a goal information acquisition unit, and an output control unit, respectively.

[0025] The user information management unit 111 generates and manages user information. The user information management unit 111 stores the generated user information in the user information storage unit 141. As described above, the system SYS is used by multiple users. User information is generated for each user, and the user information for each user is stored in the user information storage unit 141.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows the structure of user information. The user information of the noted user will be described. The user information of the noted user includes unique information of the noted user. The unique information of the noted user is identification information uniquely assigned to the noted user to distinguish the noted user from other users. The user information of the noted user includes attribute information of the noted user. The attribute information of the noted user indicates the gender, age, nationality, address, occupation, etc. of the noted user. The user information of the noted user includes preference information of the noted user. The preference information of the noted user is information representing the preferences of the noted user. Preferences include hobbies. The user information of the noted user includes link information of the noted user. The link information of the noted user includes account information associated with the noted user in any social networking service (hereinafter referred to as SNS). The attribute information, preference information, and link information of the noted user may be formed based on information input by the noted user to the terminal device 20 via the operation unit 241.

[0027] The location information acquisition unit 211 acquires location information from the GPS processing unit 25. The location information generated by the GPS processing unit 25 is periodically transmitted from the terminal communication unit 23 to the server device 10 under the control of the terminal control unit 21, and is received by the server communication unit 13. The location information received by the server communication unit 13 is provided to the server control unit 11.

[0028] The behavior history management unit 112 generates and manages the behavior history information of the user. The behavior history management unit 112 stores the generated behavior history information in the behavior history storage unit 142. As described above, the system SYS is used by multiple users. The behavior history information of each user is generated, and the behavior history information of each user is stored in the behavior history storage unit 142. The behavior history information of the attention user is information that represents the behavior history of the attention user. The position (i.e., the current position) of the attention user at each date and time is included in the behavior history information of the attention user. That is, the history of the position information of the attention user (in other words, the time series data of the position of the attention user) is included in the behavior history information of the attention user. The behavior history management unit 112 can generate the behavior history information of the attention user based on the position information of the attention user at each date and time while referring to the date and time information. Since the change in the position of the attention user during any time period of interest indicates the movement of the attention user, the behavior history information of the attention user includes information on the movement of the attention user (information indicating where the attention user moved from and to during the time period of interest). When the attention user stays at a given attention position during a given attention time period, stay time information indicating the stay time is included in the behavior history information of the attention user.

[0029] The purpose information acquisition unit 212 acquires the purpose information of the noted user. The purpose information of the noted user is information that represents the purpose of the behavior of the noted user. The purpose of the behavior is any purpose that the noted user wishes to realize, such as shopping for some kind of product, watching a movie, appreciating art, or having a meeting. The noted user can input information that specifies his / her purpose of behavior to the terminal device 20 via the operation unit 241. The purpose information acquisition unit 212 can acquire the purpose information of the noted user based on the information input by the noted user. It can also be understood that the purpose information is input by the noted user to the terminal device 20. The purpose information acquired by the purpose information acquisition unit 212 is transmitted from the terminal communication unit 23 to the server device 10 under the control of the terminal control unit 21 and received by the server communication unit 13. The purpose information received by the server communication unit 13 is given to the server control unit 11. The server control unit 11 stores the purpose information given to itself in the purpose information storage unit 143. As for the noted user, the purpose information of the noted user is stored in the purpose information storage unit 143 in a state associated with the noted user.

[0030] The goal achievement estimation unit 113 estimates whether the user's behavioral goal has been achieved. As described above, the system SYS is used by multiple users. Achievement or non-achievement of the behavioral goal is estimated for each user. The goal achievement estimation unit 113 can estimate whether the behavioral goal of the noted user has been achieved based on the behavior history information of the noted user. In detail, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 can estimate whether the behavioral goal of the noted user has been achieved based on the behavior history information of the noted user and the goal information of the noted user. Specific examples of this estimation will be described later.

[0031] The delivery control unit 114 generates information that can be delivered from the server device 10 to the information terminal 20 (hereinafter referred to as information for delivery). The delivery control unit 114 stores the information for delivery in the information for delivery storage unit 144. The delivery control unit 114 performs delivery control to deliver all or a part of the information for delivery to the terminal device 20. Note that delivery of information and transmission of information are synonymous. Of the information for delivery, information that is actually delivered from the server device 10 to the information terminal 20 is referred to as actual delivery information.

[0032] The output control unit 213 performs control to output the live broadcast information received by the terminal device 20 from the information output unit. In the terminal device 20, the output of the live broadcast information is the output of the live broadcast information to the user of interest. The output of the live broadcast information to the user of interest includes at least one of displaying the live broadcast information on the display screen 243 (i.e., displaying an image representing the live broadcast information) and outputting the live broadcast information from the speaker 244 (i.e., outputting audio representing the live broadcast information). In the following, unless otherwise specified, the output of the live broadcast information to the user of interest is realized by displaying the live broadcast information on the display screen 243.

[0033] Unlike the above-mentioned reference method (a method of simply delivering information based on context information), the system SYS delivers and notifies information adapted to the user's situation.

[0034] Below, several specific operation examples, application techniques, modified techniques, etc. related to information distribution and notification of the system SYS will be described in several embodiments. The matters described above in this embodiment are applied to each of the following embodiments unless otherwise specified and unless there is a contradiction. If there are matters in each embodiment that contradict the matters described above, the description in each embodiment may take precedence. Furthermore, unless there is a contradiction, matters described in any of the following embodiments can also be applied to any of the other embodiments (i.e., any two or more of the multiple embodiments can also be combined).

[0035] <<First Example>> A first embodiment will be described below. An outline of the operation of the system SYS according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As time progresses, timings t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, and t6 occur in this order.

[0036] First, at timing t1, the noted user inputs information specifying a behavioral purpose according to his / her desires into the terminal device 20. The purpose information acquisition unit 212 acquires the purpose information of the noted user based on the information input by the noted user. The purpose information based on the input information at timing t1 is treated as reference purpose information in the system SYS. The behavioral purpose in the reference purpose information is particularly referred to as the reference behavioral purpose (see also FIG. 8). The reference purpose information includes the reference behavioral purpose and the scheduled end date and time (more specifically, it includes information representing the reference behavioral purpose and information representing the scheduled end date and time). The scheduled end date and time in the reference purpose information represents the scheduled end date and time of the behavior performed by the noted user to achieve the reference behavioral purpose. However, input of the scheduled end date and time may be omitted. In other words, the reference purpose information may include the reference behavioral purpose but not include the scheduled end date and time.

[0037] The reference purpose information is transmitted from the terminal communication unit 23 to the server device 10 under the control of the terminal control unit 21, and is received by the server communication unit 13. The reference purpose information received by the server communication unit 13 is provided to the server control unit 11. The server control unit 11 associates the reference purpose information with the noted user and stores it in the purpose information storage unit 143.

[0038] At timing t1, the terminal control unit 21 displays the destination reception image on the display screen 243 in accordance with the terminal program PG2. Fig. 4 shows the destination reception image displayed on the display screen 243. While displaying the destination reception image on the display screen 243, the terminal control unit 21 inquires of the noted user about the reference action purpose and scheduled end date and time in the reference purpose information, and obtains a response to the inquiry through the operation unit 241. In consideration of ease of operation, etc., a method may be adopted in which the noted user selects the reference action purpose and scheduled end date and time from a plurality of candidates using a pull-down menu. However, the method of inputting the reference action purpose and scheduled end date and time by the noted user is arbitrary.

[0039] It should be noted that each of the timings t1 to t6 is a time concept having a certain time span. It is understood that the input operation is performed by the noted user during the time span of the timing t1 (for example, a time span of about one minute). The same is true for the timings t2 to t6. The timings t1 to t6 may be considered as the first to sixth periods, respectively.

[0040] After timing t1, the location information of the terminal device 20 is continuously transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server device 10. Therefore, after timing t1, the server control unit 11 can constantly recognize the locations (current locations) of the terminal device 20 and the noted user. In the server device 10, the behavior history management unit 112 generates and updates behavior history information of the noted user based on the location information of the terminal device 20 that is continuously received.

[0041] In the example of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the standard behavioral objective is the purchase of a specific product (e.g., purchasing furniture). Store AA1 in FIG. 3 is a store that sells the specific product or a store that sells the same type of product as the specific product. After timing t1, the user of interest starts moving toward store AA1 and arrives at store AA1 at timing t2. Store AA1 is an example of a target facility that is suitable for achieving the standard behavioral objective.

[0042] After timing t2, the user of interest is located in store AA1 until just before timing t4. Timing t3 is after timing t2 and before timing t4, so the user of interest at time t3 is located in store AA1. At time t4, the user of interest moves from inside store AA1 to outside store AA1 and leaves store AA1.

[0043] The goal achievement estimation unit 113 executes an estimation process. In the estimation process, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 estimates whether the noted user has achieved the reference behavioral goal based on the behavior history information of the noted user.

[0044] The goal achievement estimation unit 113 can obtain geographic information from a geographic information system (not shown) connected to the communication network NET via the communication network NET. The geographic information includes information about each position in a specified space. The geographic information specifies what exists at each position in the specified space, and various additional information indicating the characteristics of each position in the specified space is also included in the geographic information. The specified space includes at least the space to which the services of the system SYS are applied (e.g., all of Japan), and may be the entire space on the earth. Regarding the example of FIG. 3, the location of store AA1 and the characteristics of store AA1 are included in the geographic information. The characteristics of store AA1 indicate that store AA1 is a store that actually sells a specific product or a store that is capable of selling a specific product.

[0045] The goal achievement estimation unit 113 estimates that the noted user is staying in store AA1 after timing t2 until just before timing t4 (i.e., at timing t3, for example) based on the geographic information and the behavior history information of the noted user. Furthermore, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 estimates that a position in store AA1 is suitable for achieving the standard behavioral purpose based on the geographic information and the standard purpose information.

[0046] Therefore, when the attention user stays in the store AA1 and then goes outside the store AA1 and takes a behavior of leaving the store AA1, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 can estimate that the standard behavioral purpose has been achieved. In this estimation, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 may set a predicted date and time range based on the scheduled end date and time of the standard purpose information. Then, only when the attention user stays in the store AA1 and then goes outside the store AA1 and takes a behavior of leaving the store AA1 within the predicted date and time range, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 may estimate that the standard behavioral purpose has been achieved. The predicted date and time range is a time range from a time ΔT1 before the scheduled end date and time of the standard purpose information to a time ΔT2 after the scheduled end date and time of the standard purpose information. The times ΔT1 and ΔT2 may have a predetermined time length. The goal achievement estimation unit 113 may variably set the times ΔT1 and ΔT2 according to the contents of the standard behavioral purpose.

[0047] In the example of Fig. 3, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 estimates that the reference behavioral goal has been achieved at timing t4. At timing t5 after this estimation, the distribution control unit 114 distributes the base proposal information to the terminal device 20 as actual distribution information. The base proposal information in the example of Fig. 3 will be hereinafter referred to as base proposal information 600 as necessary. The timing t5 may be a timing an infinitesimal time later than the timing t4, or may be the same as the timing t4.

[0048] When the bass proposal information 600 is received by the terminal device 20 at timing t5, the output control unit 213 causes the information output unit to output the bass proposal information 600, thereby notifying the noted user of the bass proposal information 600. As described above, it is assumed here that the display screen 243 is used as the information output unit.

[0049] 5 shows an example of base proposal information 600 displayed on the display screen 243 at timing t5. The base proposal information 600 displayed on the display screen 243 at timing t5 has a plurality of options including options 601 and 602. The base proposal information 600 is information that proposes or inquires about the future behavioral purpose of the noted user to the noted user, and a plurality of options are included in the base proposal information 600 as a plurality of candidates for the future behavioral purpose. In FIG. 5, it is assumed that the plurality of options are composed only of the options 601 and 602. However, the base proposal information 600 may include three or more options.

[0050] Option 601 is first proposed information that contributes to achieving the standard behavioral goal, which is the initial behavioral goal. Option 602 is second proposed information related to a new behavioral goal different from the standard behavioral goal. The second proposed information may include information that asks the noted user whether to propose a new behavioral goal, or information that proposes a new behavioral goal to the noted user. In the example of FIG. 5, option 601 includes an inquiry sentence "Would you like to find a new store that matches your current goal?". In the example of FIG. 5, option 602 includes an inquiry sentence "Shall I suggest a new activity?"

[0051] Although the goal achievement estimation unit 113 estimates that the standard behavioral goal has been achieved at timing t4, it is possible that the standard behavioral goal has not actually been achieved. If the standard behavioral goal has not been achieved, the option 601 is beneficial to the noted user. On the other hand, there are also cases where the standard behavioral goal has actually been achieved at timing t4, in which case the option 602 may be beneficial to the noted user.

[0052] The terminal control unit 21 accepts a selection operation from the noted user while displaying the above-mentioned multiple options on the display screen 243. When a selection operation is input to the terminal device 20 at timing t6, the terminal control unit 21 transmits to the server device 10 a selection signal (in other words, a distribution request signal) according to the content of the selection operation.

[0053] 5, when a first selection operation for selecting option 601 is input to terminal device 20 while multiple options are displayed on display screen 243, a first selection signal is transmitted from terminal device 20 to server device 10. When server device 10 receives the first selection signal, server control unit 11 performs a first corresponding operation. Note that the first selection signal may be interpreted as a first distribution request signal.

[0054] In the first response operation, the delivery control unit 114 searches for stores that are actually selling the specific product or are expected to sell the specific product and are located within a predetermined distance from the location of the noted user at time t4 as suggested stores. The predetermined distance can be changed according to the wishes of the noted user. The search for suggested stores is performed based on geographic information, reference destination information, and location information of the noted user. During the search, the delivery control unit 114 may also refer to date and time information indicating the current date and time to search for suggested stores. Even if a store actually sells the specific product or is expected to sell the specific product, if it is not open at time t4, it may be excluded from the suggested stores. One or more suggested stores are searched for.

[0055] The first response operation includes a first distribution operation of transmitting detailed proposal information 610 to the terminal device 20 as actual distribution information. The detailed proposal information 610 includes recommendation information of one or more suggested stores. When the detailed proposal information 610 is received by the terminal device 20, the recommendation information of each suggested store is displayed on the display screen 243 by the output control unit 213 based on the received information. FIG. 6 shows an image showing the detailed proposal information 610 displayed on the display screen 243. In the example of FIG. 6, the recommendation information of stores AA2 to AA4 as three suggested stores is included in the detailed proposal information 610 (and is therefore displayed on the display screen 243).

[0056] Each suggested store is different from store AA1. The recommendation information of each suggested store includes information on the distance from the current location of the noted user as well as an introduction of the characteristics of each suggested store. The noted user may be able to purchase a specific product at each suggested store. For this reason, the notification of option 601 and the first response action in response to the operation of selecting option 601 contribute to the achievement of the standard behavioral objective.

[0057] 6 is displayed on the display screen 243, when an operation to select store AA2 is input to the terminal device 20, further information about store AA2 is distributed to the terminal device 20 under the control of the distribution control unit 114. The distributed information is displayed on the display screen 243. The same applies when an operation to select store AA3 or AA4 is input to the terminal device 20.

[0058] 5, when a second selection operation for selecting option 602 is input to terminal device 20 while multiple options are displayed on display screen 243, a second selection signal is transmitted from terminal device 20 to server device 10. When server device 10 receives the second selection signal, server control unit 11 performs a second response operation. Note that the second selection signal may be interpreted as a second distribution request signal.

[0059] In the second response operation, the delivery control unit 114 searches for facilities that are within a predetermined distance from the position of the noted user at the time t4 as suggested facilities. The predetermined distance can be changed according to the desire of the noted user. The search for the suggested facilities is performed based on geographic information and the position information of the noted user. The facilities include not only facilities with buildings but also parks, event venues, and the like. The delivery control unit 114 may search for the suggested facilities by referring to the user information of the noted user (see FIG. 2) in addition to the geographic information and the position information of the noted user. In particular, for example, the delivery control unit 114 searches for facilities that the noted user may be interested in as suggested facilities based on the preference information of the noted user. In addition, the delivery control unit 114 may search for the suggested facilities by referring to the date and time information. Even if the noted user is interested in a facility, if the facility cannot be used at the time t4 (for example, if the time t4 falls on a regular holiday of the facility), the facility is excluded from the suggested facilities. One or more suggested facilities are searched for.

[0060] The second response operation includes a second distribution operation of transmitting the detailed proposal information 620 to the terminal device 20 as actual distribution information. The detailed proposal information 620 includes introduction information of one or more proposed facilities. When the detailed proposal information 620 is received by the terminal device 20, the introduction information of each proposed facility is displayed on the display screen 243 by the output control unit 213 based on the received information. FIG. 7 shows an image showing the detailed proposal information 620 displayed on the display screen 243. In the example of FIG. 7, the introduction information of facilities BB1 to BB3 as three proposed facilities is included in the detailed proposal information 620 (and is therefore displayed on the display screen 243).

[0061] Each proposed facility is different from store AA1. Each proposed facility is not a store that actually sells a specific product or is expected to sell a specific product. The introduction information for each proposed facility includes information on the distance from the current location of the noted user, as well as an introduction to the characteristics of each proposed store (such as an introduction to services or events provided or implemented at each proposed facility). At a certain proposed facility, the noted user can achieve a new behavioral objective (e.g., watching a sporting event or a movie) that is different from the standard behavioral objective.

[0062] 7 is displayed on the display screen 243, when an operation to select facility BB1 is input to the terminal device 20, further information on facility BB1 is distributed to the terminal device 20 under the control of the distribution control unit 114. The distributed information is displayed on the display screen 243. The same applies when an operation to select facility BB2 or BB3 is input to the terminal device 20.

[0063] In this way, at the timing (t4) when it is estimated that the reference behavioral objective is achieved, the delivery control unit 114 notifies the noted user of the proposed information by transmitting the proposed information to the terminal device 20. For convenience of explanation, the proposed information notified to the noted user after it is estimated that the reference behavioral objective is achieved is referred to as specific proposed information. The specific proposed information may include information proposing a stop at another facility other than the store AA1 (target facility). In the examples of Figs. 5 to 7, the stores AA2 to AA4 and the facilities BB1 to BB3 correspond to the other facilities. In the examples of Figs. 3 to 7, the specific proposed information includes the base proposed information 600, and may further include the detailed proposed information 610 or 620. It is also possible to consider that only the base proposed information 600 corresponds to the specific proposed information. The specific proposed information includes information about the other behavioral objective. The other behavioral objective here is a behavioral objective different from the reference behavioral objective, and for example, watching an event (watching a sporting event) at the facility BB1 corresponds to the other behavioral objective. The option 602 corresponds to information about the other behavioral objective. The option 602 corresponds to information for inquiring of the noted user as to whether to propose another behavioral objective. The detailed proposal information 620 also corresponds to information regarding another behavioral objective. The detailed proposal information 620 corresponds to information for proposing another behavioral objective to the noted user.

[0064] Since information regarding other behavioral objectives is notified after the initial behavioral objective, the standard behavioral objective, has been achieved, excessive information distribution is suppressed, and the stress on the user can be reduced. In other words, the user can comfortably use the information distribution service provided by System SYS. Furthermore, suppressing excessive information distribution leads to a reduction in the communication load. Reducing the communication load contributes to reducing communication-related costs and power consumption.

[0065] Specifically, after estimating that the standard behavioral objective has been achieved, the server control unit 11 notifies the noted user of specific proposal information using the terminal device 20.

[0066] The server communication unit 13 receives the location information of the noted user (in other words, the location information of the terminal device 20) and the reference goal information transmitted from the terminal device 20. The behavior history management unit 112 includes the location information of the noted user in the behavior history information of the noted user. Then, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 performs an estimation process to estimate whether or not the standard behavior goal has been achieved by determining whether or not the goal achievement condition has been met based on the behavior history information of the noted user and the reference goal information. The goal achievement condition includes a first necessary condition that the noted user stays in a position suitable for achieving the standard behavior goal (hereinafter referred to as a goal-matching position) and then leaves the goal-matching position. This allows a good estimation of whether or not the standard behavior goal has been achieved.

[0067] When the reference purpose information includes a scheduled end date and time, the purpose achievement condition may include a second necessary condition instead of the first necessary condition. The second necessary condition is a condition that the user of interest stays at the purpose-suitable position and then leaves the purpose-suitable position within a predicted date and time range based on the scheduled end date and time. The method for setting the predicted date and time range is as described above. This allows for a better estimation of whether the reference behavioral purpose has been achieved.

[0068] When the reference behavioral goal can be achieved while the user of interest is staying at a certain location, the certain location is a goal-matching location. In the example of FIG. 3, when the user of interest is staying at store AA1, the user of interest can purchase a specific product, so a location within store AA1 corresponds to a goal-matching location. A goal-matching location may be understood as a concept having a size. When a location within store AA1 is a goal-matching location, the entire area within store AA1 corresponds to a goal-matching location.

[0069] Starting from a state in which the user of interest is staying at a purpose-matching location, the distance between the user of interest and the purpose-matching location increases, and when the distance becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, the purpose achievement estimation unit 113 may estimate that the user of interest has left the purpose-matching location.

[0070] The goal achievement condition may be the first necessary condition itself, or may include the first necessary condition and one or more additional conditions. When the reference goal information includes a scheduled end date and time, the goal achievement condition may be the second necessary condition itself, or may include the second necessary condition and one or more additional conditions.

[0071] An example of the additional condition is a stay time condition that the attention user stays at the goal-matching position for a specified time or more. This is because it is considered that a reasonable time is required for the standard behavioral objective to be achieved after the attention user reaches the goal-matching position. When the stay time condition is included in the goal achievement condition, if the attention user leaves the goal-matching position before the stay time of the attention user at the goal-matching position reaches the specified time, the goal achievement condition is not satisfied. Therefore, when the first necessary condition and the stay time condition are included in the goal achievement condition, the goal achievement condition is satisfied when the attention user leaves the goal-matching position after staying at the goal-matching position for a specified time or more. When the second necessary condition and the stay time condition are included in the goal achievement condition, the goal achievement condition is satisfied when the attention user leaves the goal-matching position in the predicted date and time range after staying at the goal-matching position for a specified time or more. Note that the time required for achievement varies depending on the content of the standard behavioral objective. For this reason, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 may variably set the specified time according to the content of the standard behavioral objective.

[0072] After the reference objective information is input to the terminal device 20 and received by the server device 10, the delivery control unit 114 restricts (prohibits) the transmission of specific proposed information to the terminal device 20 until it is estimated that the reference behavioral objective has been achieved. In other words, the delivery control unit 114 restricts (stops) the notification of the specific proposed information to the noted user until it is estimated that the reference behavioral objective has been achieved.

[0073] This prevents excessive information delivery, such as suggesting the next action goal before the achievement of the original action goal (standard action goal), and reduces the stress on the user. In other words, the user can comfortably use the information delivery service provided by the system SYS.

[0074] After the achievement of the standard behavioral goal is estimated, base proposal information including a plurality of options (base proposal information 600 in the example of FIG. 3) is distributed from the server device 10 to the terminal device 20 as a type of specific proposal information. The plurality of options includes two options: first proposal information (option 601) that contributes to the achievement of the standard behavioral goal, and second proposal information (option 602) related to another behavioral goal. By notifying the noted user of the base proposal information including the two options, it is possible to deal with both cases where the standard behavioral goal has not been achieved and cases where the standard behavioral goal has been achieved. By limiting the plurality of options to two options, it is possible to reduce the hassle of selection and also reduce the communication load. However, the plurality of options may include three or more options, which allows the noted user to widen the range of choices at once.

[0075] 3 to 7, many options are not presented all at once, but first only two options 601 and 602 are displayed, and then the proposed content is developed in stages according to the preferences of the user of interest. This makes it possible to realize a user-friendly interface.

[0076] 8 and 9 show an operation flowchart of the system SYS. The processes of steps S11, S12, S17 to S21, and S23 are executed by the terminal device 20, and the processes of steps S13 to S16, and S22 are executed by the server device 10. The process of step S24 is realized by the cooperation of the server device 10 and the terminal device 20. The operation flow of the system SYS will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. Prior to the operations of FIGS. 8 and 9, the user information of the noted user has been stored in the user information storage unit 141. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the location information refers to the location information of the noted user (in other words, the location information of the terminal device 20), and the behavior history information refers to the behavior history information of the noted user, unless otherwise specified.

[0077] When the terminal program PG2 is started in the terminal control unit 21, the processing of Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, which starts from step S11, is started. It is assumed that the server program PG1 is always running in the server control unit 11. In step S11, the user of interest inputs information specifying the reference purpose information to the terminal device 20, and the reference purpose information is thereby acquired by the purpose information acquisition unit 212. The reference purpose information includes at least the reference action purpose, and in principle also includes the planned end date and time. However, the reference purpose information may not include the planned end date and time.

[0078] In step S12 following step S11, the terminal control unit 21 transmits the reference objective information to the server device 10. Also, in step S12, transmission of the position information is started. Transmission of the position information refers to transmission of the position information of the noted user from the terminal device 20 to the server device 10. After step S12, the position information is transmitted periodically and continuously. The reference objective information and the position information are received by the server communication unit 13 and sent to the server control unit 11. After step S12, proceed to step S13.

[0079] When the server device 10 receives the reference objective information and starts receiving the position information, in step S13, the behavior history management unit 112 starts generating the behavior history information. As described above, the behavior history information includes the history of the position information. After step S13, the process proceeds to step S14.

[0080] In step S14, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 performs a process of judging whether the goal achievement condition is met. In the process of judging whether the goal achievement condition is met, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 judges whether the goal achievement condition is met based on the action history information and the standard goal information. If the goal achievement estimation unit 113 judges that the goal achievement condition is met, it presumes that the standard action goal has been achieved, and if it judges that the goal achievement condition is not met, it presumes that the standard action goal has not been achieved. After step S14, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0081] In step S15, the result of the process in step S14 is confirmed by the goal achievement estimation unit 113. If it is determined that the goal achievement condition is met (Y in step S15), the process proceeds to step S16. If it is determined that the goal achievement condition is not met (N in step S15), the process returns to step S14. Therefore, the process of determining whether the goal achievement condition is met in step S14 is repeated until the goal achievement condition is met.

[0082] In step S16, the distribution control unit 114 generates bass proposal information including a plurality of options, and distributes it to the terminal device 20 as actual distribution information. The distributed bass proposal information is received by the terminal device 20. In step S17 following step S16, the received bass proposal information is output from the information output unit by the output control unit 213, thereby notifying the noted user. As described above, it is assumed here that the display screen 243 is used as the information output unit. Therefore, the bass proposal information is displayed on the display screen 243. An example of the bass proposal information in steps S16 and S17 is bass proposal information 600 (see FIG. 5) including options 601 and 602.

[0083] After step S17, the process proceeds to step S18 (see FIG. 9). In step S18, the terminal control unit 21 accepts a selection operation from the noted user while displaying the base proposal information on the display screen 243. The selection operation is an operation of selecting one of a plurality of options included in the base proposal information using the operation unit 241. After step S18, the process proceeds to step S19.

[0084] In step S19, the terminal control unit 21 checks whether a selection operation has been input to the terminal device 20. If a selection operation has been input to the terminal device 20 (Y in step S19), the process proceeds to step S21. If a selection operation has not been input to the terminal device 20 (N in step S19), the process proceeds to step S20.

[0085] When accepting the selection operation, the terminal control unit 21 is also in a state in which it can accept a predetermined information distribution end operation. In step S20, it is confirmed whether an information distribution end operation has been input to the terminal device 20 by the noted user. When the noted user wishes to end the information distribution service through the execution of the terminal program PG2, the information distribution end operation is input. If an information distribution end operation has been input (Y in step S20), the terminal control unit 21 stops the execution of the terminal program PG2. When the execution of the terminal program PG2 is stopped, the series of operations shown in Figures 8 and 9 ends. If an information distribution end operation has not been input (N in step S20), the process returns to step S19.

[0086] In step S21, the terminal control unit 21 transmits a selection signal to the server device 10 in response to a selection operation from the noted user. The selection signal is received by the server device 10. After step S21, the process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, the server control unit 11 performs a corresponding operation in response to the reception of the selection signal. The corresponding operation includes generating detailed proposal information and delivering the detailed proposal information to the terminal device 20. The delivered detailed proposal information is received by the terminal device 20. After step S22, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the received detailed proposal information is output from the information output unit by the output control unit 213, thereby notifying the noted user. As described above, it is assumed here that the display screen 243 is used as the information output unit. Therefore, the detailed proposal information is displayed on the display screen 243.

[0087] Depending on which of the above multiple options is selected, the corresponding action executed in step S22 differs. The processes of steps S18, S19 and S21 to S23 in the examples of Figs. 5, when a first selection operation for selecting option 601 is input to the terminal device 20 while a plurality of options are displayed on the display screen 243, a first selection signal is transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server device 10 (steps S18, S19, and S21). When the server device 10 receives the first selection signal, the server control unit 11 performs a first response operation (step S22). In the first response operation, detailed proposal information 610 is generated by the delivery control unit 114 and delivered to the terminal device 20, and as a result, the detailed proposal information 610 is displayed on the display screen 243 (steps S22, S23; see FIG. 6). 5, when a second selection operation for selecting option 602 is input to the terminal device 20 while a plurality of options are displayed on the display screen 243, a second selection signal is transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server device 10 (steps S18, S19, and S21). When the server device 10 receives the second selection signal, the server control unit 11 performs a second response operation (step S22). In the second response operation, detailed proposal information 620 is generated by the delivery control unit 114 and delivered to the terminal device 20, and as a result, the detailed proposal information 620 is displayed on the display screen 243 (steps S22, S23; see FIG. 7).

[0088] After step S23, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the server device 10 and the terminal device 20 execute subsequent processing according to the desires of the noted user. The subsequent processing includes, for example, searching for and notifying additional information for any information indicated in the detailed proposal information. In the subsequent processing, a behavioral objective based on the detailed proposal information may be set as a new standard behavioral objective, and then the process may return to step S11. This will be described using as an example a case in which the detailed proposal information 620 in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display screen 243 in step S23. As described above, the detailed proposal information 620 includes introduction information for facilities BB1 to BB3.

[0089] Suppose that the noted user inputs an operation to select facility BB1 to the terminal device 20 while the detailed proposal information 620 is displayed on the display screen 243. In this case, through some exchanges between the terminal device 20 and the noted user, the objective information acquisition unit 212 can set a behavior objective involving a visit to facility BB1 as a new standard behavior objective. When the new standard behavior objective is set, a series of operations starting from step S11 is executed for the new standard behavior objective. For example, the new standard behavior objective involving a visit to facility BB1 is to watch a sport if facility BB1 is a facility for watching sport, and to watch a movie if facility BB1 is a movie theater. The same applies when the noted user inputs an operation to select facility BB2 or BB3 to the terminal device 20.

[0090] <<Second Example>> The second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment and the third to tenth embodiments described later are based on the first embodiment, and for matters not specifically mentioned in the second to tenth embodiments, the description of the first embodiment also applies to the second to tenth embodiments unless there is a contradiction. However, when interpreting the description of the second embodiment, the description of the second embodiment may take precedence for matters that contradict between the first and second embodiments (the same applies to the third to tenth embodiments described later). As long as there is no contradiction, any two or more of the first to tenth embodiments may be combined.

[0091] Although the method of determining whether or not the objective achievement condition is met based on the location information has been adopted, the objective achievement condition may be determined whether or not it is met based on other information instead of or in addition to the location information.

[0092] For example, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 may estimate whether the standard behavioral goal has been achieved or not based on data posted by the noted user on the SNS (in other words, it may determine whether the goal achievement condition has been met). The SNS here is any social networking service for which the noted user has an account, and hereinafter, the SNS is referred to as the target SNS. Link information in the user information of the noted user includes account information of the target SNS and associated with the noted user. The target SNS is a device different from the server device 10 and is operated by an SNS server connected to the communication network NET. The noted user posting data on the target SNS refers to the noted user transmitting data from the terminal device 20 or another terminal device to the target SNS server in association with his / her own account information.

[0093] The behavior history management unit 112 can acquire the content of data posted by the noted user to the target SNS (hereinafter, "posted data") and the posting date and time of the posted data based on the account information included in the link information of the noted user. The behavior history management unit 112 includes the history of the posted data in the behavior history information of the noted user. The history of the posted data is a history of the posted content including the content of the posted data and the posting date and time of the posted data. The posted data includes at least one of text data and image data. The image data is data of still images or moving images obtained by shooting with a terminal device (terminal device 20 or another terminal device) having a shooting function, and the shooting operation is basically performed at the will of the noted user.

[0094] The goal achievement estimation unit 113 can estimate whether the standard behavioral goal has been achieved or not based on the behavior history information including the history of the posted data (in other words, can determine whether the goal achievement condition has been met). For example, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 can estimate whether the standard behavioral goal has been achieved based on the text data in the posted data.

[0095] By referring to the posted data, it may be possible to accurately estimate whether a standard behavioral goal has been achieved.

[0096] The estimation method will be described with reference to the example of FIG. 3. The goal achievement estimation unit 113 refers to text data in the posting data posted after timing t1, and judges whether the text data includes a sentence indicating that the target user has purchased a specific product. If the text data includes a sentence indicating that the target user has purchased a specific product, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 can estimate that the standard behavioral goal has been achieved. In this estimation, image data that may be included in the posting data may also be referenced. More specifically, in a case where the specific product is Scandinavian furniture, it is assumed that the target user has posted posting data including the posting sentence "I was able to buy the Scandinavian furniture I have always wanted" at timing t3 to the target SNS. In this case, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 can estimate that the standard behavioral goal has been achieved based on the posting sentence.

[0097] The method according to the second embodiment can be combined with the method according to the first embodiment. When it is not possible to estimate from the history of posted data whether the standard behavioral purpose has been achieved, it is possible to estimate whether the standard behavioral purpose has been achieved by using location information as in the first embodiment.

[0098] <<Third Example>> A third embodiment will now be described. In the third embodiment, it is assumed that when the noted user purchases an arbitrary product, the product purchase information is transmitted to the server device 10.

[0099] The product purchase information includes information that the purchaser of the product is the noted user, the product contents, the purchase date and time of the product, etc. For example, the server device 10 is connected to a POS (Point of Sale) system via a communication network NET. Then, when the noted user purchases any product using the POS system, the product purchase information is transmitted from the POS system to the server device 10 for each purchase.

[0100] The behavior history management unit 112 includes the purchase information transmitted to the server device 10 and the product purchase information by the noted user in the behavior history information of the noted user as the product purchase history of the noted user. The goal achievement estimation unit 113 may estimate whether the standard behavioral goal has been achieved or not based on the behavior history information including the product purchase history of the noted user (in other words, may determine whether the goal achievement condition has been met). In other words, the behavior of purchasing a product is the payment behavior for the product (the behavior of paying for the product). Therefore, the product purchase history is, in other words, the history of the payment behavior for the product. The behavior history management unit 112 includes the history of the payment behavior for the product by the noted user based on the purchase information transmitted to the server device 10 in the behavior history information of the noted user.

[0101] By looking at the purchase history (history of payment behavior), it may be possible to get a good estimate of whether the baseline behavioral objective has been achieved.

[0102] This estimation method will be described with reference to the example of Fig. 3. The goal achievement estimation unit 113 monitors whether or not a purchase history indicating that the target user has purchased a specific product is included in the behavior history information after timing t1. If a purchase history indicating that the target user has purchased a specific product is included in the behavior history information, the goal achievement estimation unit 113 can estimate that the standard behavioral goal has been achieved. The purchase history indicating that the target user has purchased a specific product is, in other words, a history of payment behavior indicating that the target user has paid the price for the purchase of the specific product.

[0103] The method according to the third embodiment can be combined with the method according to the first embodiment. When it is not possible to estimate from the purchase history whether the standard behavioral purpose has been achieved, it is possible to estimate whether the standard behavioral purpose has been achieved by using location information as in the first embodiment.

[0104] In addition, when purchasing a specific product, the noted user may use a coupon or points to receive a discount on the price of the specific product. When a coupon or points associated with the noted user is used, purchase information of the specific product involving the use of the coupon or points may be transmitted to the server device 10. Then, it may be estimated that the standard behavioral goal has been achieved based on the purchase information of the specific product involving the use of the coupon or points (payment behavior history).

[0105] <<Fourth Example>> A fourth embodiment will be described below. As described above, until it is estimated that the standard behavioral objective is achieved, the delivery control unit 114 restricts (prohibits) the transmission of suggested information including information on other behavioral objectives to the terminal device 20.

[0106] However, even before it is estimated that the standard behavioral goal is achieved, information related to the standard behavioral goal may be distributed from the server device 10 to the terminal device 20. That is, in the example of FIG. 3, at timing t2 or t3, the distribution control unit 114 may notify the noted user of the specific product by transmitting related information of the specific product to the terminal device 20 as actual distribution information. The related information of the specific product may include introduction information of the store AA1, and may further include introduction information of surrounding stores other than the store AA1. The surrounding stores refer to stores that are located within a predetermined distance from the current location of the noted user and may sell the specific product. The introduction information of the store AA1 may include various campaign information (such as limited-time service information and information on a celebrity autograph session) that may be held at the store AA1. The same applies to the introduction information of the surrounding stores.

[0107] Furthermore, if the terminal device 20 or the server device 10 has a scheduler function, a notification based on the scheduler function may be executed regardless of whether the standard behavioral objective is achieved or not. That is, in the example of Fig. 3, consider a case where the noted user has made a reservation to visit a beauty salon at timing t3 and the details of the reservation are registered in the scheduler. In this case, regardless of whether the standard behavioral objective is achieved or not, a notification based on the scheduler function may be sent from the terminal device 20 to the noted user at timing t3 or slightly before timing t3.

[0108] <<Fifth Example>> A fifth embodiment will be described. The system SYS aims to improve the convenience of users in regard to information distribution, and may have the following functions.

[0109] For example, the delivery control unit 114 may prepare information that the noted user may desire as information to be delivered in advance and store it in the information to be delivered storage unit 144. Then, in response to a request from the noted user, the delivery control unit 114 may immediately transmit the information to be delivered to the terminal device 20 as real delivery information. That is, when the noted user inputs an operation to the terminal device 20 to request viewing of desired information, a delivery request signal is transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server device 10 in response to the input operation. In response to receiving the delivery request signal, the delivery control unit 114 may transmit information corresponding to the desired information among the information to be delivered stored in the information to be delivered storage unit 144 to the terminal device 20 as real delivery information. The output control unit 213 outputs the received real delivery information from the information output unit (for example, displays it on the display screen 243).

[0110] Alternatively, for example, the delivery control unit 114 may deliver information that the noted user may desire as real delivery information to the terminal device 20 at any timing. In this case, the delivered real delivery information is stored in the memory 22. Then, when the noted user inputs an operation to the terminal device 20 to request viewing of the desired information, the output control unit 213 outputs information corresponding to the desired information from among the real delivery information stored in the memory 22, from the information output unit.

[0111] In this way, by preparing information that may be viewed in the so-called background, it becomes possible to immediately respond to a request from the noted user. In the example of Fig. 3, while the noted user is staying at store AA1, he or she may want information on other stores because he or she cannot find the product he or she wants or cannot agree on the cost. In such cases, it is particularly useful to prepare information in the background.

[0112] <<Sixth Example>> A sixth embodiment will be described. The noted user may wish to temporarily stop the delivery of information. For example, the noted user may wish to stop the delivery of information while watching a movie or attending a meeting.

[0113] For this reason, the system SYS may be equipped with a temporary distribution stop function. The distribution control unit 114 related to the temporary distribution stop function stops the operation of distributing any information (including the above-mentioned suggested information) to the terminal device 20 during the set target suspension period. The terminal control unit 21 sets the target suspension period according to the operation content of the operation unit 241 by the noted user. The setting content of the target suspension period is transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server device 10.

[0114] The unit of setting the target suspension period is arbitrary. The target suspension period may be set in hours or days. The target suspension period may be a period without an end date, in which case the target suspension period continues after the start of the target suspension period until a predetermined restart instruction operation is input to the operation unit 241. The target suspension period may include multiple periods that are set periodically according to a schedule (for example, a period from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. every Monday).

[0115] <<Seventh Example>> A seventh embodiment will be described. Although the method of first notifying the noted user of basic proposal information including a plurality of options after it is estimated that the standard behavioral goal has been achieved has been described above, the noted user may be directly attracted to another behavioral goal as follows. That is, in the example of Fig. 3, when it is estimated that the standard behavioral goal has been achieved, the delivery control unit 114 may deliver detailed proposal information 620 to the terminal device 20 without delivering the basic proposal information 600.

[0116] <<Eighth Example>> An eighth embodiment will be described. The reference purpose information may be set according to a predetermined behavior purpose schedule. For example, assume a case where the noted user acts for a specific behavior purpose from 15:00 to 18:00 every Monday. Examples of the specific behavior purpose include going to the hospital or a regular meeting. In this case, the noted user inputs, via the operation unit 241, to the terminal device 20, as a behavior purpose schedule, that the noted user acts for the specific behavior purpose from 15:00 to 18:00 every Monday. The behavior purpose schedule is registered in the purpose information acquisition unit 212 and is also transmitted to the server control unit 11.

[0117] Once the activity purpose schedule is registered, the noted user does not need to input the reference purpose information to the terminal device 20 every time Monday comes or approaches. Once the activity purpose schedule is registered, the reference purpose information according to the activity purpose schedule is shared between the terminal device 20 and the server device 10 every Monday without the need for new operation input to the operation unit 241.

[0118] <<Ninth Example>> A ninth embodiment will be described. Any of the processes performed by the server control unit 11 may be performed by the terminal control unit 21. For example, the behavior history management unit 112 and the goal achievement estimation unit 113 may be functional blocks provided in the terminal control unit 21. In this case, information required to realize the functions of the behavior history management unit 112 and the goal achievement estimation unit 113 is transmitted to the terminal device 20 from an external device connected to the communication network NET as necessary. The external device here includes the server device 10 and may include any other server device. When the goal achievement estimation unit 113 is provided in the terminal control unit 21, the estimation of whether the reference behavioral goal has been achieved is performed by the terminal control unit 21.

[0119] <<Tenth Example>> A tenth embodiment will now be described.

[0120] The goal achievement estimation unit 113 can estimate whether the noted user has achieved the goal at the target facility based on the behavior history information at the target facility where the noted user is located. Consider the example of FIG. 3, and the case where the target facility is store AA1. In this case, the goal at the target facility is the above-mentioned standard behavior goal, specifically, the purchase of a specific product.

[0121] The behavior history information may include first information indicating the current location of the noted user and the movement or stay time of the noted user. The first information of the behavior history information at the target facility may indicate whether the current location of the noted user is a location within the target facility. In addition, the first information of the behavior history information at the target facility may include information indicating that the noted user has moved from an external location of the target facility to an internal location of the target facility, and information indicating that the noted user has moved from an internal location of the target facility to an external location of the target facility. In addition, the first information of the behavior history information at the target facility may indicate the time (length of time) that the noted user stayed within the target facility.

[0122] The behavior history information may include second information indicating posts by the noted user to the target SNS. The second information of the behavior history information at the target facility may include posting data of the noted user to the target SNS during the period when the noted user stayed at the target facility. Alternatively, the second information of the behavior history information at the target facility may include data posted in association with the target facility among the posting data of the noted user to the target SNS (e.g., data including the name of the target facility).

[0123] The behavior history information may include third information indicating a payment behavior of the noted user. The third information of the behavior history information at the target facility may indicate a payment behavior performed by the noted user at the target facility. More specifically, the third information of the behavior history information at the target facility may indicate a payment behavior performed by the noted user as a consideration for purchasing a specific product at the target facility.

[0124] When the above-described first to third embodiments are implemented in combination, the purpose achievement estimation unit 113 may determine whether the following first, second and third conditions are met. The first condition is the stay time condition described in the first embodiment. As described above, the stay time condition is a condition that the user of interest stays at a purpose-matching location for a specified period of time or more. The purpose-matching location is a location within a target facility that is suitable for achieving the standard behavioral purpose. In the example of FIG. 3, store AA1 is the target facility. The second condition, related to the second embodiment, is that the attention user posts data to the target SNS. The data in this case may be data that suggests that the standard behavioral goal has been achieved. The third condition is related to the third embodiment and is a condition that the user of interest has made a payment for a product. If the reference behavioral purpose is the purchase of a specific product, the third condition is met when the user of interest has made a payment for the specific product.

[0125] The goal achievement estimation unit 113 may estimate that the standard behavioral objective is achieved when any one of the first to third conditions is satisfied. The goal achievement estimation unit 113 may estimate that the standard behavioral objective is not achieved when all of the first to third conditions are not satisfied. That is, when the stay time of the noted user in the target facility (store AA1 in FIG. 3) is shorter than a specified time, and the noted user does not post to the target SNS, and the noted user does not make a payment behavior, it may be estimated that the standard behavioral objective is not achieved. When it is estimated that the standard behavioral objective is not achieved based on the failure of the first to third conditions, the delivery control unit 114 may provide information on a similar facility (another facility) that is different from the target facility and in line with the standard behavioral objective. The information on the similar facility that is different from the target facility and in line with the standard behavioral objective may be the first proposed information (information that contributes to the achievement of the standard behavioral objective) described in the first embodiment, and may include the detailed proposed information 610 in FIG. 6. In the detailed proposed information 610, stores AA2 to AA4 correspond to the above-mentioned similar facilities (another facility).

[0126] A similar facility is a facility that sells the same type of product as the target facility or a facility that provides the same type of service as the target facility. In either case, when the standard behavioral objective of the target user is expected to be achieved at a certain facility, the facility corresponds to a similar facility.

[0127] The system SYS includes an information processing device. The information processing device estimates whether the standard behavioral goal of the noted user has been achieved based on the behavior history information of the noted user, and after estimating that the standard behavioral goal has been achieved, notifies the user of suggested information including information on other behavioral goals. The server device 10 is an example of the information processing device, and the server device 10 notifies the user of the suggested information using the terminal device 20.

[0128] However, as shown in the ninth embodiment, when the estimation of whether the standard behavioral purpose has been achieved is performed by the terminal control unit 21, the terminal device 20 can be an example of an information processing device.

[0129] The terminal device 20 may transmit the behavior history information of the noted user to the server device 10 by communication via the communication network NET. At this time, the behavior history information transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server device 10 indicates at least the location information of the noted user. In addition, the behavior history information transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server device 10 may indicate at least one of the posting by the noted user to the target SNS and the payment behavior of the noted user for the product. More specifically, the behavior history information transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server device 10 may include the content and posting date and time of the posting data by the noted user to the target SNS. The behavior history information transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server device 10 may include a history of payment behavior indicating that the noted user has paid the price for the purchase of the product. The product here may be a specific product in the first to third embodiments, etc.

[0130] A program for causing a computer device to execute any of the methods described in the embodiments of the present invention, and a non-volatile recording medium having the program recorded thereon, are included within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention. The server device 10 is a type of computer device that executes a server program PG1. The terminal device 20 is a type of computer device that executes a terminal program PG2. Any of the processes in the embodiments of the present invention may be realized by hardware such as a semiconductor integrated circuit, software equivalent to the above-mentioned program, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0131] The embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various ways as appropriate within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims. The above embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and the meanings of the terms of the present invention and each component are not limited to those described in the above embodiments. The specific numerical values ​​shown in the above description are merely examples, and can be changed to various numerical values ​​as a matter of course. [Explanation of symbols]

[0132] SYS System (Information Notification System) NET Communication network 10. Server equipment 11 Server control unit 111 User Information Management Department 112 Action History Management Department 113 Goal Achievement Estimation Department 114 Distribution control section 12 Server Memory PG1 Server program 13 Server Communication Section 141 User information storage unit 142 Action History Memory Unit 143 Purpose information storage unit 144 Distribution information storage unit 15 Date and time information acquisition section 20 Terminal Equipment 21 Terminal control unit 211 Location information acquisition unit 212 Purpose information acquisition unit 213 Output control section 22 Device Memory PG2 terminal program 23 Terminal communication unit 24 User Interface 241 Operation section 242 Microphone 243 Display screen 244 Speaker 25 GPS processing unit

Claims

1. An information notification method performed by a CPU, comprising: The user's current location and the user's movement or stay time; A posting by the user to a social networking service; Obtaining behavior history information indicating at least one of the following: Inferring whether the user has achieved a purpose at the target facility based on the behavior history information at the target facility where the user is located; When it is estimated that the purpose has been achieved, suggestion information that suggests stopping by other facilities is provided to the user. , Information Notification Method.

2. The proposed information is provided to a terminal device carried by a user through communication. The information notification method according to claim 1 .

3. When the user leaves the location of the target facility where the user stayed, it is assumed that the purpose has been achieved. The information notification method according to claim 1 .

4. If the user's stay time in the target facility is shorter than a specified time, it is assumed that the objective has not been achieved. The information notification method according to claim 1 .

5. If the user posts on a social networking service, it is assumed that the purpose has been achieved. The information notification method according to claim 1 .

6. If the user makes a payment at the target facility, it is presumed that the purpose has been achieved. The information notification method according to claim 1 .

7. If the user's stay time at the target facility is shorter than a specified time, and the user has not posted anything on a social networking service, and the user has not made any payment, it is presumed that the purpose has not been achieved, and information on another facility that is different from the target facility and is in line with the purpose is provided. The information notification method according to claim 1 .

8. Transmitting user location information and behavior history information indicating posts by the user to a social networking service or payment behavior by the user to an information processing device via communication; Receives and displays the proposed information provided by the information processing device. , terminal device.

9. The user's current location and the user's movement or stay time; A posting by the user to a social networking service; Obtaining behavior history information indicating at least one of the following: Inferring whether or not the user has achieved a purpose at the target facility based on the behavior history information at the target facility where the user is located; When it is estimated that the purpose has been achieved, suggestion information that suggests stopping by other facilities is provided to the user. , information processing device.

10. The user's current location and the user's movement or stay time; A posting by the user to a social networking service; Obtaining behavior history information indicating at least one of the following: Inferring whether or not the user has achieved a purpose at the target facility based on the behavior history information at the target facility where the user is located; An information notification method for providing the user with suggested information suggesting stopping by other facilities at the time when the user estimates that the purpose has been achieved. An information notification program to be executed on a computer device.

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