Server, system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a server, a system, a method, and a program that in a chat room allowing users who participate through terminals to interact with each other on the Internet, allow the users to be guided to the chat room by displaying link information for the chat room in a web site.SOLUTION: In a communication system 1, a server 10 that communicates with user terminals 20A to 20C, and ... via a network 30 includes: a control unit 11 that performs control to generate link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms; and a communication unit 14 that transmits the link information to the terminals.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1-1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server, a system, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, chat rooms are known in which users who participate via terminals can communicate with each other over the Internet (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-207974 A Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, A server that communicates with a terminal, a control unit that performs control to generate link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms; A communication unit that transmits the link information to the terminal. According to a second aspect of the present invention, A system including a terminal and a server in communication with the terminal, A control unit of the server that controls generation of link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms; a communication unit of a server that transmits the link information to the terminal; A communication unit of the terminal that receives the link information. According to a third aspect of the present invention, An information processing method for a server communicating with a terminal, comprising: Controlling the generation of link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms; and transmitting the link information to the terminal. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, A program executed by a server in communication with a terminal, Controlling the generation of link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms; and transmitting the link information to the terminal by the server. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1-1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 1-2] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processes executed by each device in the first embodiment. [Figure 1-3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing that a plurality of chat rooms are associated with link information. [Figure 1-4] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processes executed by each device in the first modified example (1). [Figure 1-5] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processes executed by each device in the first modified example (4). [Figure 2-1] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processes executed by each device in the second embodiment. [Figure 2-2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of how a display transitions from selection of link information to a chat room. [Figure 3-1] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by a server in the third embodiment. [Figure 4-1] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processes executed by each device in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 4-2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a list of multiple chat rooms that have been generated and displayed on a terminal. [Figure 4-3] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example in which number information is automatically added to the icon image of each chat room. [Figure 4-4] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example in which icon images for all chat rooms are changed collectively by changing settings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0006] <Compliance with legal matters> It should be noted that the disclosures described herein are subject to compliance with the laws of the country of implementation, such as communications secrecy, as necessary for the implementation of the disclosure.

[0007] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment for implementing a server, a system, an information processing method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0008] <System configuration> FIG. 1-1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As disclosed in FIG. 1-1, in the communication system 1, a server 10 and terminals 20 (terminals 20A, 20B, and 20C) are connected via a network 30. The server 10 provides a service that enables transmission and reception of messages between the terminals 20 to the terminals 20 owned by users via the network 30. The number of terminals 20 connected to the network 30 is not limited.

[0009] The network 30 plays a role of connecting one or more terminals 20 and one or more servers 10. In other words, the network 30 refers to a communication network that provides a connection path so that the terminals 20 can connect to the server 10 and then transmit and receive data.

[0010] One or more portions of network 30 may or may not be a wired or wireless network. Network 30 may include, by way of example and without limitation, an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular network, integrated service digital networks (ISDN), wireless LAN, long term evolution (LTE), code division multiple access (CDMA), Bluetooth, satellite communications, or the like, or a combination of two or more thereof. Network 30 may include one or more networks 30.

[0011] The terminal 20 (terminal 20A, terminal 20B, terminal 20C) may be any information processing terminal capable of implementing the functions described in each embodiment. The terminal 20 includes, but is not limited to, a smartphone, a mobile phone (feature phone), a computer (such as, but not limited to, a desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), a media computer platform (such as, but not limited to, a cable or satellite set-top box, digital video recorder, etc.), a handheld computer device (such as, but not limited to, a PDA (personal digital assistant), an email client, etc.), a wearable device (such as, but not limited to, a glasses-type device, a watch-type device, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms. The terminal 20 may also be expressed as an information processing terminal.

[0012] Since the configurations of the terminals 20A, 20B, and 20C are basically the same, the terminal 20 will be described below. In addition, as necessary, the terminal used by the user X will be expressed as the terminal 20X, and the user information in a predetermined service associated with the user X or the terminal 20X will be expressed as the user information X. Note that the user information is information of a user associated with an account used by the user in a predetermined service. The user information includes, by way of example and without limitation, information associated with a user, such as the user's name, the user's icon image, the user's age, the user's sex, the user's address, the user's hobbies and interests, and the user's identifier, which is input by the user or given by the predetermined service, and may be any one of these, or a combination thereof, or may not be the same.

[0013] The server 10 has a function of providing a predetermined service to the terminal 20. The server 10 may be any device as long as it is an information processing device capable of realizing the functions described in each embodiment. The server 10 includes, but is not limited to, a server device, a computer (for example, but not limited to, a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, etc.), a media computer platform (for example, but not limited to, a cable or satellite set-top box, a digital video recorder), a handheld computer device (for example, but not limited to, a PDA, an email client, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms. The server 10 may also be expressed as an information processing device. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the server 10 and the terminal 20, the server 10 and the terminal 20 may or may not be expressed as information processing devices.

[0014] <Hardware (HW) configuration> The HW configuration of each device included in the communication system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1-1.

[0015] (1) Terminal hardware configuration The terminal 20 includes a control unit 21 (CPU: central processing unit), a memory unit 28, a communication unit 22, an input / output unit 23, a display unit 24, a microphone 25, a speaker 26, and a camera 27. The HW components of the terminal 20 are connected to each other via a bus B, for example and not for limitation. It is not essential that the HW configuration of the terminal 20 includes all of the components. For example and not for limitation, the terminal 20 may or may not be configured such that individual components, such as the microphone 25, the camera 27, or multiple components, are removable.

[0016] The communication unit 22 transmits and receives various data via the network 30. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the communication between the two units can be performed. The communication unit 22 has a function of communicating with the server 10 via the network 30. The communication unit 22 transmits various data to the server 10 according to instructions from the control unit 21. The communication unit 22 also receives various data transmitted from the server 10 and transmits it to the control unit 21. The communication unit 22 may also be simply referred to as a communication unit. When the communication unit 22 is configured with a physically structured circuit, it may also be referred to as a communication circuit.

[0017] The input / output unit 23 includes a device for inputting various operations to the terminal 20, and a device for outputting the results of processing performed by the terminal 20. The input / output unit 23 may be an integrated input unit and an output unit, or may be separate from the input unit and the output unit, or may not be.

[0018] The input unit is realized by any one or a combination of all kinds of devices that can receive input from a user and transmit information related to the input to the control unit 21. Examples of the input unit include, but are not limited to, hardware keys such as a touch panel, a touch display, and a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a camera (operation input via moving images), and a microphone (operation input by voice).

[0019] The output unit is realized by any one or a combination of all kinds of devices capable of outputting the processing results processed by the control unit 21. Examples of the output unit include, but are not limited to, a touch panel, a touch display, a speaker (audio output), a lens (for example, but not limited to, 3D (three dimensions) output and hologram output), a printer, etc.

[0020] The display unit 24 is realized by any one of all kinds of devices capable of displaying according to the display data written in the frame buffer, or a combination thereof. The display unit 24 includes, but is not limited to, a touch panel, a touch display, a monitor (for example, but not limited to, a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence display (OLED)), a head mounted display (HDM), a projection mapping, a hologram, a device capable of displaying images, text information, and the like in air (which may or may not be a vacuum). Note that these display units 24 may or may not be capable of displaying display data in 3D.

[0021] When the input / output unit 23 is a touch panel, the input / output unit 23 and the display unit 24 may be disposed facing each other and have approximately the same size and shape.

[0022] The control unit 21 has a circuit physically structured to execute the functions realized by the code or instructions contained in the program, and is realized by a data processing device built into hardware, for example and without limitation. Therefore, the control unit 21 may or may not be expressed as a control circuit.

[0023] The control unit 21 includes, by way of example and not limitation, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0024] The storage unit 28 has a function of storing various programs and various data required for the operation of the terminal 20. The storage unit 28 includes, by way of example and not limitation, various storage media such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), and a read only memory (ROM). In addition, the storage unit 28 may or may not be expressed as a memory.

[0025] Terminal 20 stores program P in storage unit 28, and executes this program P, causing control unit 21 to execute processing as each unit included in control unit 21. In other words, program P stored in storage unit 28 causes terminal 20 to realize each function executed by control unit 21. Also, this program P may or may not be expressed as a program module.

[0026] The microphone 25 is used to input voice data, the speaker 26 is used to output voice data, and the camera 27 is used to obtain video data.

[0027] (2) Server hardware configuration The server 10 includes a control unit 11 (CPU), a storage unit 15, a communication unit 14 (interface), an input / output unit 12, and a display 13. The components of the HW of the server 10 are connected to each other via a bus B, for example and not for limitation. It is not essential that the HW of the server 10 includes all the components as the configuration of the HW of the server 10. For example and not for limitation, the HW of the server 10 may or may not be configured such that the display 13 is detachable.

[0028] The control unit 11 has circuits physically structured to execute functions realized by codes or instructions contained in a program, and is realized, for example and not by way of limitation, by a data processing device embedded in hardware.

[0029] The control unit 11 is typically a central processing unit (CPU), but may also be a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC, or an FPGA, but is not limited to these in the present disclosure.

[0030] The storage unit 15 has a function of storing various programs and various data required for the operation of the server 10. The storage unit 15 is realized by various storage media such as an HDD, an SSD, and a flash memory. However, in the present disclosure, the storage unit 15 is not limited to these. Furthermore, the storage unit 15 may or may not be expressed as a memory.

[0031] The communication unit 14 transmits and receives various data via the network 30. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the communication between the two devices is possible. The communication unit 14 has a function of communicating with the terminal 20 via the network 30. The communication unit 14 transmits various data to the terminal 20 according to instructions from the control unit 11. The communication unit 14 also receives various data transmitted from the terminal 20 and transmits it to the control unit 11. The communication unit 14 may also be simply referred to as a communication unit. When the communication unit 14 is configured with a physically structured circuit, it may also be referred to as a communication circuit.

[0032] The input / output unit 12 is realized by a device that inputs various operations to the server 10. The input / output unit 12 is realized by any of all types of devices that can receive input from a user and transmit information related to the input to the control unit 11, or a combination thereof. The input / output unit 12 is typically realized by hardware keys such as a keyboard, or a pointing device such as a mouse. Note that the input / output unit 12 may or may not include, as non-limiting examples, a touch panel, a camera (operation input via moving images), or a microphone (operation input by voice). However, in the present disclosure, the input / output unit 12 is not limited to these.

[0033] The display 13 is typically realized by a monitor (for example, but not limited to, a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence display (OLED)). The display 13 may or may not be a head mounted display (HDM) or the like. These displays 13 may or may not be capable of displaying display data in 3D. However, in the present disclosure, the display 13 is not limited to these.

[0034] The server 10 stores a program P in the storage unit 15, and by executing this program P, the control unit 11 executes the processes of each unit included in the control unit 11. In other words, the program P stored in the storage unit 15 causes the server 10 to realize each function executed by the control unit 11. This program P may or may not be expressed as a program module.

[0035] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, the description will be given assuming that the CPU of the terminal 20 and / or the server 10 executes the program P to realize the present invention.

[0036] The control unit 21 of the terminal 20 and / or the control unit 11 of the server 10 may or may not realize each process by a CPU having a control circuit, but may also realize each process by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (Large Scale Integration)) or a dedicated circuit. These circuits may or may not be realized by one or more integrated circuits, and the multiple processes shown in each embodiment may or may not be realized by one integrated circuit. Furthermore, an LSI may be called a VLSI, a super LSI, an ultra LSI, or the like, depending on the degree of integration. Therefore, the control unit 21 may or may not be expressed as a control circuit.

[0037] In addition, the program P (for example, but not limited to, a software program, a computer program, or a program module) of each embodiment of the present disclosure may or may not be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can store the program P in a "non-transitory tangible medium." In addition, the program P may or may not be for realizing part of the functions of each embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the program P may or may not be a so-called difference file (difference program) that can realize the functions of each embodiment of the present disclosure in combination with a program P already recorded in a storage medium.

[0038] The storage medium may include one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (such as, by way of example and not limitation, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific IC (ASIC)), a hard disk drive (HDD), a hybrid hard drive (HHD), an optical disk, an optical disk drive (ODD), a magneto-optical disk, a magneto-optical drive, a floppy diskette, a floppy disk drive (FDD), a magnetic tape, a solid state drive (SSD), a RAM drive, a secure digital card, or a drive, any other suitable storage medium, or a suitable combination of two or more of these. The storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, where appropriate. It should be noted that the storage medium is not limited to these examples and may be any device or medium capable of storing the program P. In addition, the storage medium may or may not be referred to as a memory.

[0039] The server 10 and / or the terminal 20 can realize the functions of the multiple functional units shown in each embodiment by reading out the program P stored in a storage medium and executing the read out program P.

[0040] Furthermore, the program PDD of the present disclosure may or may not be provided to the server 10 and / or the terminal 20 via any transmission medium capable of transmitting a program (such as a communication network or broadcast waves). The server 10 and / or the terminal 20 executes the program P downloaded via the Internet or the like, as a non-limiting example, to realize the functions of the multiple functional units shown in each embodiment.

[0041] Furthermore, each embodiment of the present disclosure may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program P is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0042] At least a part of the processing in the server 10 and / or the terminal 20 may or may not be realized by cloud computing configured with one or more computers.

[0043] At least a part of the processing in the terminal 20 may or may not be configured to be performed by the server 10. In this case, at least a part of the processing of each functional unit of the control unit 21 of the terminal 20 may or may not be configured to be performed by the server 10.

[0044] At least a part of the processing in the server 10 may or may not be configured to be performed by the terminal 20. In this case, at least a part of the processing of each functional unit of the control unit 11 of the server 10 may or may not be configured to be performed by the terminal 20.

[0045] Unless explicitly stated, the judgment configuration in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not essential, and a specified process may or may not be executed when the judgment condition is satisfied, or a specified process may or may not be executed when the judgment condition is not satisfied.

[0046] Note that the programs of the present disclosure are implemented using, by way of example and not limitation, scripting languages ​​such as ActionScript and JavaScript (registered trademark), object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Objective-C and Java (registered trademark), and markup languages ​​such as HTML5.

[0047] First Embodiment In recent years, chat rooms that allow users to communicate with other users on the Internet using their terminals have become widespread. A chat room is a user interface that allows users of a messaging service provided by the server 10 to display information sent and received between the users on their terminals.

[0048] In chat rooms, for example, users who share common hobbies, interests, and values, users who want to have everyday conversations, and users who want to get advice or sympathy for some kind of trouble can communicate with each other via the Internet.

[0049] Chat rooms are basically formed by mutual consent between users who are aware of each other in the messaging service provided by server 10, but chat rooms in which an unspecified number of users can freely participate can also be formed. Such chat rooms in which an unspecified number of users can freely participate are sometimes called open chats.

[0050] An open chat is a group chat in which multiple users can participate anonymously. Participating anonymously here means that a user can participate in a chat room with a user name different from the user name registered on the server 10 that provides the messaging service.

[0051] In a chat room such as an open chat, a user can participate after being aware of the existence of the chat room. For example, when a user browses a website on the Internet, the user may become aware of the existence of a chat room when link information (e.g., a URL) of a chat room related to the website is displayed on the website.

[0052] That is, by displaying link information for a chat room related to an article in a website that a user is interested in, it is possible to make users who have viewed the article aware of the existence of the chat room and to encourage them to participate in the chat room. In other words, by displaying link information for a chat room on a website, it is possible to guide users to the chat room.

[0053] Conventionally, the task of attaching link information of a chat room on a website in order to guide users to the chat room has been performed manually by an administrator of server 10.

[0054] In the first embodiment, the server 10 that communicates with the terminal 20 includes a control unit 11 that performs control to generate link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms, and a communication unit 14 that transmits the link information to the terminal 20. The contents of the first embodiment are applicable to any of the other embodiments.

[0055] Specifically, in the first embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may generate link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms, for example, link information to be pasted on a website viewed by a user of the terminal 20. Then, the communication unit 14 of the server 10 may transmit the generated link information to the terminal 20, so that the link information is displayed on the terminal 20 together with the website.

[0056] <Functional configuration> (1) Functional configuration of the server The control unit 11 of the server 10 has a function of executing a server main process, which is a process for comprehensively controlling the server 10, according to a server main processing program (not shown) stored in the storage unit 15. The control unit 11 of the server 10 also performs control for generating link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms, according to a generation processing program (not shown) stored in the storage unit 15.

[0057] The communication unit 14 of the server 10 has a function of executing a communication main process, which is a process of transmitting and receiving information to and from the terminal 20, under the control of the control unit 11. Specifically, the communication unit 14 of the server 10 executes a transmission process of transmitting link information generated by the control unit 11 to the terminal 20 in accordance with a link information transmission program stored in the storage unit 15, under the control of the control unit 11.

[0058] As a non-limiting example, a server main processing program is stored in the storage unit 15 of the server 10, which is read by the control unit 11 and executed as server main processing. The server main processing program includes, as a non-limiting example, a generation processing program and a link information transmission program, which are read and executed by the control unit 11, as subroutine programs.

[0059] <Information Processing> 1-2 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processes executed by each device in this embodiment. From the left, the flowchart shows an example of the process executed by the control unit 11 of the server 10 and an example of the process executed by the control unit 21 of the terminal 20.

[0060] The following flowcharts are examples of the processing of this embodiment, and in the following flowcharts, some steps may not be executed, or additional steps may be inserted. The same applies to other flowcharts in this specification.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 1-2, the server 10 generates link information associated with a plurality of chat rooms (step S101).

[0062] Each of the multiple chat rooms may be available to multiple users and may relate to a common theme. The multiple chat rooms may consist of only pre-created chat rooms or may include newly created chat rooms, for example and without limitation.

[0063] The link information may be, for example and without limitation, a link such as a URL displayed on a website. The link information may be information for transitioning the display of the terminal 20 to one of a plurality of chat rooms by a user of the terminal 20 selecting the link on the website.

[0064] The information for transitioning the display of terminal 20 to one chat room may be, by way of example and not limitation, information on the URL of a website for automatically transferring to one chat room, or information on the URL of one chat room.

[0065] Note that the timing at which the link information is generated is not limited to the timing at which one or more of the chat rooms are generated, but may be the timing when the link information is generated.

[0066] Next, assume that the user of terminal 20 performs an operation to access a website related to the chat room associated with the link information generated in step S101 (step S201). The website related to the chat room may be, for example and without limitation, a website that contains articles related to the theme of the chat room.

[0067] After step S201, the server 10 transmits the link information generated in step S101 to the terminal 20 (step S102). After step S102, the terminal 20 displays the link information within the above-mentioned website (step S202).

[0068] The display mode of the link information on the website may be, for example and without limitation, the URL information itself based on the information for transitioning described above, or may be character information or image information based on the link information. The character information or image information based on the link information may be, for example and without limitation, text information introducing the chat room, information such as a thumbnail image or icon image based on the chat room, information combining text information and image information, etc.

[0069] For example, as shown in FIG. 1-3, it is assumed that there is a specific website that can be displayed on the display unit 24 of the user's terminal 20. The website in FIG. 1-3 illustrates an article about a soccer team "AAA". It is assumed that a plurality of chat rooms for supporting "AAA" have been generated in advance for "AAA". Four chat rooms C1 to C4 are illustrated in FIG. 1-3. The chat rooms C1 to C4 are given names that are "AAA Support" followed by numbers (numbers 1 to 4) to distinguish each of them. In addition, to the right of each name, a number indicating the number of participants in the chat room is shown in parentheses. Specifically, an example is shown in which the number of participants in chat rooms C1 and C2 is 200 people, and the number of participants in chat rooms C3 and C4 is 150 people.

[0070] The link information L is generated by the server 10 in association with the chat rooms C1 to C4, and is displayed, for example, at the bottom of the website displayed on the terminal 20. In FIG. 1-3, the link information L is exemplified as text information of "AAA Support Entrance."

[0071] When the user selects this link information L on terminal 20, the display on terminal 20 transitions to one of chat rooms C1 to C4.

[0072] After step S202, this control ends.

[0073] <Advantages of the First Embodiment> In the first embodiment configured as described above, the server 10 that communicates with the terminal 20 includes a control unit 11 that controls the generation of link information associated with information of multiple chat rooms, and a communication unit 14 that transmits the link information to the terminal 20.

[0074] As an example of an effect of the first embodiment, the link information generated by the server 10 is transmitted to the terminal 20, so that the user of the terminal 20 can easily recognize the existence of a chat room based on the link information. As a result, it is possible to easily guide the user to the chat room.

[0075] Furthermore, since the link information is automatically displayed within the website by the server 10, it is possible to eliminate the need for the administrator of the server 10 to manually paste the link information into the website, as has been the case in the past.

[0076] <First Modification (1)> In the first embodiment, nothing is mentioned about what happens after the link information is displayed on the website. In the first modified example (1), when the link information is selected by the user of the terminal 20, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform a process of registering the user in a first chat room out of a plurality of chat rooms.

[0077] <Information Processing> Fig. 1-4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by each device in the first modified example (1). From the left, an example of processing executed by the control unit 11 of the server 10 and an example of processing executed by the control unit 21 of the terminal 20 are shown. Note that the processing of steps S101, S102, S201, and S202 in Fig. 1-4 are the same as those in the flowchart shown in Fig. 1-2.

[0078] 1-4, after step S202, the user of terminal 20 selects link information displayed in the website (step S203). After step S203, control unit 11 of server 10 performs a process of registering the user of terminal 20 in a first chat room among a plurality of chat rooms (step S103).

[0079] The first chat room is a chat room included in a plurality of chat rooms, and may or may not be a chat room selected by server 10, as appropriate, by way of example and not limitation.

[0080] The process of registering the user in the first chat room may be, for example and without limitation, a process of having the user participate in the first chat room or a process of allowing the user to access the first chat room.

[0081] After step S103, server 10 transmits information about the first chat room to terminal 20 (step S104). After step S104, terminal 20 displays the first chat room (step S204).

[0082] For example, in the website in FIG. 1-3, if server 10 determines that chat room C2 is the first chat room, after the user of terminal 20 selects the link information, the display of terminal 20 transitions to the display of chat room C2.

[0083] After step S204, this control ends.

[0084] <Effects of the first modified example (1)> In the first modified example (1) configured as described above, when link information is selected by a user of terminal 20, control unit 11 of server 10 may perform a process of registering the user in a first chat room among multiple chat rooms.

[0085] As an example of an effect of the first variant example (1), since a user can join the first chat room by selecting link information displayed on the website, it is possible to make it easier for users to join chat rooms.

[0086] <First Modification (2)> In the first modified example (1), the user is simply registered in the first chat room, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the first modified example (2), when the link information is selected by the user of the terminal 20, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform a process of associating the first chat room with the user.

[0087] In this case, for example, the process of step S103 in FIG. 1-4 may be replaced with a process of associating the user with the first chat room.

[0088] Associating the first chat room with the user may be, for example and without limitation, creating an account for the user in the first chat room.

[0089] The process of generating an account for a user may be, for example and without limitation, a process of transitioning the display of the terminal 20 to an account setting screen for the first chat room after the user selects link information.

[0090] <Effects of the first modified example (2)> In the first modified example (2) configured as above, when the link information is selected by the user of the terminal 20, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform a process of associating the first chat room with the user.

[0091] As an example of the effect of the first modified example (2), since a user can be easily associated with a chat room, it becomes easier for the user to use the chat room.

[0092] <First Modification (3)> In the first modified example (1), after a user is registered in the first chat room, if the user selects the link information again, the user may be guided to a chat room other than the first chat room. In a first variant example (3), after a user is registered in the first chat room, when link information is selected by the user, control unit 11 of server 10 may perform control related to displaying the first chat room on terminal 20.

[0093] The control regarding displaying the first chat room on terminal 20 may be, for example and without limitation, a control to transmit information about the first chat room to terminal 20.

[0094] In this case, after the flow shown in FIG. 1-4 is completed, steps S201, S102, S202, and S203 are performed again, and then steps S104 and S204 are performed.

[0095] <Effects of the first modified example (3)> In the first variant example (3) configured as described above, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform control related to displaying the first chat room on the terminal 20 when the link information is selected by the user after the user is registered in the first chat room.

[0096] As an example of the effect of the first modified example (3), if a user is registered in the first chat room based on the selection of the link information, when the user selects the link information again, the user is reliably guided to the first chat room. As a result, when the user selects the link information, the user is prevented from being guided to a chat room other than the first chat room.

[0097] <First Modification (4)> In the first modified example (3), when the link information is selected again by the user after the user is registered in the first chat room, the user is guided to the first chat room. Such a user may encourage other users to participate in the first chat room. In a first variant example (4), the link information is first link information, and the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform control to send second link information for displaying the first chat room to a designated user designated by the user, based on input by the user registered in the first chat room.

[0098] The first link information may be, for example and not by way of limitation, link information generated by the server 10 and displayed within a website.

[0099] The second link information for displaying the first chat room may be, for example and without limitation, link information associated with the link of the first chat room. The link information associated with the link of the first chat room may be, for example and without limitation, link information that transitions the display of terminal 20 to the first chat room when the user selects the second link information.

[0100] <Information Processing> FIG. 1-5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the processes executed by each device in the first modified example (4). From the left, examples of the processes executed by the control unit 21 of the first terminal, the control unit 11 of the server 10, and the control unit 21 of the second terminal are shown. Note that the processes in FIG. 1-5 are executed after the processes in FIG. 1-4 are completed. Also, the first terminal may be the terminal of a user registered in the first chat room in the processes in FIG. 1-4. The second terminal may be the terminal of a designated user, which will be described later.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 1-5, control unit 21 of the first terminal transmits information indicating an input for inviting a designated user to the first chat room to server 10 (step S205). The designated user may be, for example and without limitation, a user designated by the user of the first terminal. The information indicating an input for inviting a designated user to the first chat room may be information indicating that the user of the first terminal has performed an operation for inviting a designated user of the second terminal to the first chat room.

[0102] After step S205, server 10 transmits the second link information to the second terminal (step S105). After step S105, control unit 21 of the second terminal displays the second link information on the second terminal (step S301). When a designated user of the second terminal performs an operation to select the second link information (step S302), server 10 transmits information about the first chat room to the second terminal (step S106).

[0103] Before step S106, the server 10 may perform a process of registering the designated user of the second terminal.

[0104] After step S106, control unit 21 of the second terminal displays the first chat room on the second terminal (step S303). After step S303, this control ends.

[0105] <Effects of the first modified example (4)> In the first variant example (4) configured as described above, the link information is first link information, and the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform control to send second link information for displaying the first chat room to a designated user designated by the user, based on an input by the user registered in the first chat room.

[0106] The link information (first link information) is associated with multiple chat rooms. Therefore, when a user performs an operation to invite a designated user from the first chat room, if the same link information as the first link information is sent to the designated user, there is a possibility that the designated user will participate in a chat room other than the first chat room.

[0107] In contrast, in the first modified example (4), as an example of an effect, the second link information is transmitted to the second terminal of the designated user, so that the designated user can be reliably allowed to participate in the first chat room.

[0108] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment and the like, the first chat room is a chat room appropriately selected by the server 10, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the second embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine a first chat room based on the number of people registered in at least one of the multiple chat rooms, and perform a process of registering a user in the first chat room.

[0109] <Information Processing> Fig. 2-1 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processes executed by each device in the second embodiment. From the left, an example of processes executed by the control unit 11 of the server 10 and an example of processes executed by the control unit 21 of the terminal 20 are shown. Note that the processes of steps S101, S102, S103, S104, S201, S202, S203, and S204 in Fig. 2-1 are the same as those in the flowchart shown in Fig. 1-4.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 2-1, after step S203, control unit 11 of server 10 determines the first chat room based on the number of people in each chat room (step S107).

[0111] The number of people in each chat room is the number of participants in multiple chat rooms associated with the link information. For example, the number in parentheses to the right of the name of each chat room C1 to C4 shown in FIG. 1-3 is the number of participants in each chat room C1 to C4, and the first chat room is determined from among the chat rooms C1 to C4 based on this number.

[0112] For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may select the first chat room from among a plurality of chat rooms in which the number of participants is less than a predetermined number. The predetermined number may be set to any number as appropriate.

[0113] For example, if the specified number of people is set to 200, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may select, as the first chat room, one of chat rooms C3 and chat room C4, which has a participant number of less than 200, from among the chat rooms shown in Figures 1-3.

[0114] When there are multiple chat rooms with fewer than the specified number of people, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may, by way of example and not limitation, select the chat room with the largest or smallest number of people among the multiple chat rooms with fewer than the specified number of people as the first chat room.

[0115] After step S107, the process proceeds to step S103 and subsequent steps.

[0116] <Effects of the second embodiment> In the second embodiment configured as described above, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine a first chat room based on the number of people registered in at least one of the multiple chat rooms, and perform a process of registering a user in the first chat room.

[0117] As an example of an effect of the second embodiment, the first chat room can be determined taking into consideration the number of people in multiple chat rooms.

[0118] Displaying link information on a website can actively induce users to chat rooms, but for example, the number of participants in the chat room associated with the link information may increase too much, causing the number of messages in the chat room to become too large, which may make it difficult for users to view the messages in the chat room.

[0119] In contrast, in the second embodiment, the first chat room is determined taking into consideration the number of people in multiple chat rooms, so that users can be preferentially allocated to chat rooms with fewer participants. As a result, the number of people in multiple chat rooms can be equalized, and problems caused by an increase in the number of participants in a chat room can be reduced.

[0120] <Second Modification Example (1)> In the second embodiment, the first chat room is determined based on the number of people registered in the chat room, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the second variant example (1), the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine a first chat room based on a message sent to at least one of the multiple chat rooms, and perform a process of registering a user in the first chat room.

[0121] In this case, the process of step S107 in FIG. 2-1 may be replaced with a process of determining the first chat room based on messages in each chat room.

[0122] The messages in each chat room may be, by way of example and not limitation, the number of messages sent in each chat room (eg, the total number of messages per unit time).

[0123] The control unit 11 of the server 10 may, for example, determine a chat room in which frequent interactions between participating users of the chat room (a chat room in which the number of messages sent is relatively large) as the first chat room. The control unit 11 of the server 10 may also, for example, determine a chat room in which moderate interactions between participating users of the chat room (a chat room in which the number of messages sent is within a certain range) as the first chat room. The control unit 11 of the server 10 may also, for example, determine a chat room in which less active interactions between participating users of the chat room (a chat room in which the number of messages sent is relatively small) as the first chat room.

[0124] Note that control unit 11 of server 10 may determine the first chat room based on the number of active users in at least one of the multiple chat rooms.

[0125] An active user may be, by way of example and not limitation, a user who sends messages relatively frequently in a chat room.

[0126] The control unit 11 of the server 10 may, for example, determine a chat room with a relatively large number of active users as the first chat room. The control unit 11 of the server 10 may also, for example, determine a chat room with a number of active users within a certain range as the first chat room. The control unit 11 of the server 10 may also, for example, determine a chat room with a relatively small number of active users as the first chat room.

[0127] <Effects of the second modified example (1)> In the second variant example (1) configured as described above, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine a first chat room based on a message sent to at least one of the multiple chat rooms, and perform a process of registering a user in the first chat room.

[0128] As an example of the effect of the second modified example (1), it is possible to determine the usage status and atmosphere of a chat room, for example, a chat room with a lively atmosphere, a chat room with a calm atmosphere, etc., based on the number of messages in the chat room. As a result, the first chat room can be determined taking into consideration the usage status and atmosphere of the chat room.

[0129] <Second Modification Example (2)> In the second embodiment and the like, the first chat room is determined based on the number of people registered in the chat room, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the second modified example (2), the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform a process of determining a first chat room based on attribute information of the user and registering the user in the first chat room.

[0130] In this case, the process of step S107 in FIG. 2-1 may be replaced with a process of determining the first chat room based on the attributes of the user.

[0131] The user attributes may be, for example and without limitation, the user's gender, the user's residential area (location), the user's hobbies and preferences, and the like.

[0132] For example, assume that there are multiple chat rooms including a chat room in which only male users are registered and a chat room in which only female users are registered. In this case, if the user is male, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine the chat room in which only male users are registered as the first chat room. Also, if the user is female, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine the chat room in which only female users are registered as the first chat room.

[0133] Control unit 11 of server 10 may also determine a chat room with a high ratio of users living in the same residential area as the user or in a nearby residential area as the first chat room. Control unit 11 of server 10 may also determine a chat room with a high ratio of users having hobbies and interests common to those of the user as the first chat room.

[0134] Furthermore, when a user tends to send messages relatively infrequently, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine, for example, a chat room with a calm atmosphere as the first chat room. When a user tends to send messages relatively frequently, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine, for example, a chat room with a lively atmosphere as the first chat room. When a user tends to send many messages unilaterally, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine, as the first chat room, a chat room other than the chat room in which the user who unilaterally sends many messages (user G in chat room C4 shown in FIG. 1-3) exists.

[0135] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine the first chat room based on a user's input based on attribute information.

[0136] For example, as shown in Fig. 2-2, when a user selects link information L, the control unit 11 of the server 10 causes a window W to be displayed on the terminal 20 to ask the user which chat room he or she desires. The window W shown in Fig. 2-2 displays two options, "lively" and "quiet," as options for the user.

[0137] A "busy" chat room may be, for example, a chat room with a large number of messages per unit time, a chat room with a large volume of messages from each user, etc. A "quiet" chat room may be, for example, a chat room with a small number of messages per unit time, a chat room with a small volume of messages from each user, etc.

[0138] Here, if the user selects "quiet," the display on the terminal 20 transitions to a display of a chat room that the server 10 has determined to be relatively quiet.

[0139] In addition, the user's input based on the attribute information may be, for example, a user's input in setting the attribute information if the attribute information is configurable. In this way, the first chat room can be determined based on the user's self-declaration.

[0140] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may estimate attribute information based on the user's behavior, and determine the first chat room based on the estimation result of the attribute information.

[0141] The user's actions may be, for example and without limitation, user's actions in a messaging service or the like provided by the server 10. For example, the user's actions may be sending a message, using a stamp, sending information on the URL of a specific website, and the like.

[0142] For example, in the case of a user who frequently sends messages, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may estimate that the user's attribute is a "lively" type based on the user's behavior, and may determine a "lively" chat room as the first chat room. Also, even among users who frequently send messages, there are users who unilaterally send many messages. In this case, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine, as the first chat room, a chat room other than the chat room in which the user who unilaterally sends many messages (user G in chat room C4 shown in FIG. 1-3) exists.

[0143] Furthermore, in the case of a user who frequently uses stamps, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may infer, based on the user's behavior, that the user's attribute is "a user who frequently uses stamps" and determine a chat room in which the stamps are used frequently as the first chat room. In the case of a user who frequently sends messages above the URL of a specific website, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may infer, based on the user's behavior, that the user's attribute is "a user who likes to provide information" and determine a chat room in which the information is provided frequently as the first chat room.

[0144] <Effects of the second modified example (2)> In the second modified example (2) configured as above, control unit 11 of server 10 may perform a process of determining a first chat room based on attribute information of a user and registering the user in the first chat room.

[0145] As an example of the effect of the second modified example (2), since the first chat room is determined based on the attributes of the user, the user can be allocated to a chat room that matches the attributes of the user.

[0146] <Third embodiment> In the first embodiment etc., there was no mention of a new chat room being added to multiple chat rooms after link information is generated, but a new chat room may be added to multiple chat rooms after link information is generated. In the third embodiment, control unit 11 of server 10 may perform control to generate a third chat room included in a plurality of chat rooms, based on information about a second chat room associated with link information.

[0147] <Information Processing> FIG. 3-1 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by the server 10 in the third embodiment.

[0148] As shown in FIG. 3-1, control unit 11 of server 10 monitors information on a second chat room (step S401). By way of example and not limitation, the second chat room may be a chat room (a chat room determined as a first chat room) to which a user is directed when the user selects link information from among a plurality of chat rooms associated with link information.

[0149] Additionally, the information about the second chat room may include information about the number of people registered in the second chat room.

[0150] After step S401, the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines whether the number of people in the second chat room has reached a predetermined number (step S402). In this case, the predetermined number of people may be set to an appropriate number, such as 70% of the capacity of the chat room.

[0151] If the determination result indicates that the number of people in the second chat room has not reached the predetermined number (step S402, NO), the process returns to step S401. On the other hand, if the number of people in the second chat room has reached the predetermined number (step S402, YES), control unit 11 of server 10 creates a third chat room (step S403).

[0152] The third chat room may be, by way of example and not limitation, a chat room that is related to a common theme with the multiple chat rooms.

[0153] After step S403, control unit 11 of server 10 associates the plurality of chat rooms, including the third chat room, with the link information (step S404). After step S404, this control ends.

[0154] <Effects of the third embodiment> In the third embodiment configured as described above, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform control to generate a third chat room included in multiple chat rooms, based on information about the second chat room associated with the link information.

[0155] As an example of an effect of the third embodiment, since a third chat room is generated based on information of the second chat room, a new chat room can be automatically generated and associated with link information before the number of people in the existing chat rooms becomes too large.

[0156] <Fourth embodiment> In the first embodiment and the like, a plurality of chat rooms exist, but no mention is made of a case in which a plurality of chat rooms are newly generated. In the fourth embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform control to generate a plurality of chat rooms based on an input by a user of the terminal 20.

[0157] <Information Processing> Fig. 4-1 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processes executed by each device in the fourth embodiment. From the left, an example of a process executed by the control unit 21 of the terminal 20 and an example of a process executed by the control unit 11 of the server 10 are shown. Note that the user of the terminal 20 in Fig. 4-1 may be an administrator of a chat room.

[0158] 4-1, it is assumed that the user of terminal 20 has made an input for generating multiple chat rooms. Then, control unit 21 of terminal 20 transmits the input information for generating multiple chat rooms to server 10 (step S501).

[0159] The input for generating multiple chat rooms may be, for example, setting information input by a user of terminal 20 on a setting screen for generating chat rooms. The setting information may include information on an icon image of the chat room, a name of the chat room, a co-administrator, a description of the chat room, a category of the chat room, whether the chat room is searchable, the name of the administrator, the number of chat rooms, spam settings, notification settings, terms of use settings, and automation processing settings.

[0160] The automated process may be, for example and without limitation, a process that is automatically executed by a computer. Specifically, the automated process may be, for example, an automatic reply in a chat room, an automatic posting, or the like, or the like, or the like, or the automated process may be executed using a generative AI.

[0161] After step S501, control unit 11 of server 10 generates a plurality of chat rooms (step S601).

[0162] Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 4-2, multiple chat rooms are generated at once. FIG. 4-2 shows an example in which a list of multiple generated chat rooms is displayed on terminal 20. The icon images (circled images) of each chat room displayed on the left side of terminal 20 in FIG. 4-2 are common to each chat room. Also, the name of each chat room in FIG. 4-2 is "AAA Support," and a number is written to the right of the name to distinguish each chat room. Also, the number in parentheses for each chat room indicates the number of users registered in each chat room.

[0163] After step S601, this control ends.

[0164] <Effects of the Fourth Embodiment> In the fourth embodiment configured as above, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform control to generate a plurality of chat rooms based on an input by a user of the terminal 20.

[0165] As an example of the effect of the fourth embodiment, a plurality of chat rooms on a common theme can be generated at once.

[0166] For example, when guiding a user to a chat room from a website via link information, if many users are registered in the chat room associated with the link information, it is necessary to create the chat room each time, and therefore the administrator of the chat room must check the number of users in the chat room and create the chat room each time.

[0167] In contrast, in the fourth embodiment, a plurality of chat rooms can be created at once, which eliminates the need to create a chat room each time.

[0168] Furthermore, control unit 11 of server 10 may perform control to generate names for each of a plurality of chat rooms based on input by a user of terminal 20 of information relating to the name of the chat room.

[0169] This allows the information relating to the name of the chat room, that is, the setting information, to be standardized, thereby eliminating the need to input setting information when creating a chat room.

[0170] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform control to generate image information (icon images) indicating each of a plurality of chat rooms, based on image information input by the user of the terminal 20.

[0171] This makes it easy to set the icon image for each chat room, as shown in Figure 4-2.

[0172] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may generate a plurality of chat rooms based on information on the total upper limit number of people for the plurality of chat rooms.

[0173] For example, if the maximum number of people in one chat room is predetermined, and the total maximum number of people is set, then by dividing the total maximum number of people by the maximum number of people in one chat room, it is possible to generate a number of chat rooms according to the division value.

[0174] Furthermore, after generating a plurality of chat rooms, control unit 11 of server 10 may automatically generate an additional new chat room.

[0175] For example, if an upper limit on the number of people in each chat room is set, a new chat room can be automatically generated after the number of people in each chat room reaches the upper limit, which saves the trouble of generating a chat room each time.

[0176] In addition, when a new chat room is automatically generated, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may perform control to inquire of the user whether or not to change the setting information of the new chat room, based on the timing of generating the new chat room.

[0177] The control for inquiring of the user as to whether or not to change the setting information of the new chat room may be, for example and without limitation, sending a notification to terminal 20 to confirm with the user whether or not to change the setting information of the new chat room.

[0178] Since a certain amount of time has passed since the initial generation of multiple chat rooms until a new chat room is generated, there may be cases where the user wishes to change the setting information of the chat room. Therefore, by inquiring of the user as to whether or not the setting information has been changed, a new chat room with the settings desired by the user can be generated.

[0179] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may automatically add number information to the image information.

[0180] For example, as shown in Figure 4-3, by automatically adding number information to the icon image of each chat room, it becomes easier to distinguish between each chat room.

[0181] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may change the image information for each chat room based on artificial intelligence.

[0182] For example, assume that the icon image shown in Fig. 4-2 is set as the setting information. In this case, since the icon image shown in Fig. 4-2 is an image related to a soccer player, an icon image related to a soccer player that is different for each chat room may be set by artificial intelligence.

[0183] This allows an icon image specific to each chat room to be automatically set, making it even easier to distinguish between the chat rooms.

[0184] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may automatically group a plurality of chat rooms that have been created and associate them with link information.

[0185] This makes it possible to simplify the settings required for guiding a user who has selected link information to one of a plurality of chat rooms.

[0186] Furthermore, control unit 11 of server 10 may change the setting information for a plurality of chat rooms for each chat room, or may change all the setting information for a plurality of chat rooms at once.

[0187] For example, if you change the icon image of a soccer player as shown in Figure 4-3 to the icon image of a baseball player, the icon images of each chat room will be changed to the icon image of a baseball player all at once, as shown in Figure 4-4.

[0188] This allows the user to freely select between individual or collective changes, improving the convenience of changing settings.

[0189] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may input information based on an input from a user having a predetermined authority to all of a plurality of chat rooms.

[0190] The predetermined authority may be, for example and without limitation, an administrator authority or the like.

[0191] Entering input-based information into all of the multiple chat rooms may involve a user with certain authority using, for example, a special tool for simultaneous broadcasting, or entering a specific command (e.g., " / ").

[0192] This allows messages with the same content to be sent to all of a plurality of chat rooms at once, eliminating the need for users with a certain level of authority to input messages with the same content into each chat room.

[0193] Furthermore, control unit 11 of server 10 may perform control to include a fourth chat room in the multiple chat rooms, based on the degree of similarity between a fourth chat room other than the multiple chat rooms and the multiple chat rooms.

[0194] The fourth chat room may be, for example and not by way of limitation, a chat room generated separately from the multiple chat rooms, or may be a chat room generated with different setting information than the multiple chat rooms.

[0195] The degree of similarity may be, for example and without limitation, a measure based on whether the theme of the fourth chat room is common to the themes of multiple chat rooms or has commonalities with the themes of multiple chat rooms.

[0196] For example, if the theme of multiple chat rooms is cheering on a specific sports team, and the theme of a fourth chat room is about the specific sports team, the themes of the multiple chat rooms and the theme of the fourth chat room will have at least one thing in common: that they are related to the specific sports team.

[0197] Therefore, control unit 11 of server 10 may determine that the fourth chat room is similar to a plurality of chat rooms, and perform control to include the fourth chat room in the plurality of chat rooms.

[0198] Furthermore, when performing control to include the fourth chat room in multiple chat rooms, control unit 11 of server 10 may perform control to inquire of the user about including the fourth chat room in multiple chat rooms.

[0199] The control to query the user may be, by way of example and not limitation, sending a notification to the user indicating that the fourth chat room is to be included in the plurality of chat rooms.

[0200] This allows the user to confirm in advance that the fourth chat room can be included in multiple chat rooms. Also, if the user does not want the fourth chat room to be included in multiple chat rooms, the user can inquire at server 10 and take measures to prevent the fourth chat room from being included in multiple chat rooms.

[0201] <Other embodiments> In the first embodiment and the like, each of the multiple chat rooms is an independent chat room, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the multiple chat rooms may be related to each other, such as by having a common notebook.

[0202] In this case, there may be one administrative chat room, and multiple chat rooms may be associated with the administrative chat room. In the administrative chat room, for example, only the administrator may be able to send messages, and the users participating in the multiple chat rooms may only be able to view the administrative chat room.

[0203] In the first embodiment and the like, multiple chat rooms are associated with the link information, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, only one chat room may be associated with the link information, and the control unit 11 of the server 10 may switch the chat room associated with the link information based on the user attributes, the number of people in the chat room, and the like.

[0204] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and corrections are included in the scope of the present disclosure. By way of example and not of limitation, the functions included in each means, each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistency, and multiple means, steps, etc. can be combined into one or divided. In addition, the configurations shown in each embodiment may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0205] 1. Communication Systems 10 Server 11 Control section 12 Input / output section 13. Display 14 Communications Department 15 Storage section 20 Terminals 21 Control section 22 Communications Department 23 Input / output section 24 Display 25. Mike 26 Speaker 27 Camera 28 Memory section 30 Network

Claims

1. A server that communicates with a terminal, a control unit that performs control to generate link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms; A communication unit that transmits the link information to the terminal.

2. 2. The server of claim 1, When the link information is selected by a user of the terminal, the control unit performs a process of registering the user in a first chat room among the multiple chat rooms.

3. 3. The server according to claim 2, When the link information is selected by a user of the terminal, the control unit performs a process of associating the first chat room with the user.

4. The server according to claim 2 or 3, The control unit performs a process of determining the first chat room based on the number of people registered in at least one of the plurality of chat rooms, and registering the user in the first chat room.

5. The server according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The control unit performs processing to determine the first chat room based on a message sent to at least one of the plurality of chat rooms, and to register the user in the first chat room.

6. The server according to any one of claims 2 to 5, The control unit determines the first chat room based on attribute information of the user, and performs processing to register the user in the first chat room.

7. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The control unit performs control to generate a third chat room included in the plurality of chat rooms based on information of a second chat room associated with the link information.

8. 8. The server according to claim 7, The information about the second chat room includes information about the number of people registered in the second chat room.

9. 3. The server according to claim 2, The control unit performs control related to displaying the first chat room on the terminal when the link information is selected by the user after the user is registered in the first chat room.

10. 3. The server according to claim 2, the link information is first link information, The control unit controls the transmission of second link information for displaying the first chat room to a designated user designated by the user, based on input by the user registered in the first chat room.

11. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The control unit performs control to generate the plurality of chat rooms based on an input by a user of the terminal.

12. 12. The server of claim 11, The control unit performs control to generate names for each of the plurality of chat rooms based on input of information relating to the names of the chat rooms by the users of the terminals.

13. The server according to claim 11 or 12, The control unit performs control to generate image information indicating each of the plurality of chat rooms based on image information input by a user of the terminal.

14. A system including a terminal and a server in communication with the terminal, A control unit of the server that controls generation of link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms; a communication unit of a server that transmits the link information to the terminal; A communication unit of the terminal that receives the link information.

15. An information processing method for a server communicating with a terminal, comprising: Controlling the generation of link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms; and transmitting the link information to the terminal.

16. A program executed by a server in communication with a terminal, Controlling the generation of link information associated with information on a plurality of chat rooms; and transmitting the link information to the terminal by the server.

Images