Server device, system, control method for server device, and program

Abstract

To provide a server device that contributes to provision of more useful information to a user who desires information provision.SOLUTION: A server device includes generating means and transmitting means. The generating means generates provision information to be provided to an employee based on employee information about the employee, an employee's current location, and a current time. The transmitting means transmits the generated provision information to a terminal carried by the employee. The generating means may estimate a state of the employee based on the employee's current location and the current time, and generate the provision information using the estimated state and the employee information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a server device, a system, a method for controlling a server device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There are services that provide information that matches the preferences of smartphone users.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes that bookmark information that matches a user's preferences is notified according to the user's current location and time. The information processing device in Patent Document 1 includes a bookmark input device, a location information acquisition device, a behavior pattern analysis unit, and a reminder unit. The bookmark input device inputs bookmark information including at least location-related information. The location information acquisition device acquires current location information. The behavior pattern analysis unit accumulates a history of current location information and analyzes behavior patterns. The reminder unit notifies bookmark information related to a predetermined area at a predetermined timing according to the analyzed behavior pattern. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-23793 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described in Patent Document 1, there is a need for providing information that matches a user's preferences. Here, in Patent Document 1, the user's location information is used to provide information (bookmark information) to the user.

[0006] However, providing information using location information alone often does not meet the needs of users. Users want to be provided with more useful information than simply using location information.

[0007] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a server device, a system, a method for controlling a server device, and a program that contribute to providing more useful information to users who wish to receive information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a server device comprising: a generating means for generating information to be provided to an employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and a current time; and a transmitting means for transmitting the generated information to a terminal carried by the employee.

[0009] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system including a terminal carried by an employee and a server device, the server device comprising: a generation means for generating information to be provided to the employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and a current time; and a transmission means for transmitting the generated information to the terminal carried by the employee.

[0010] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a server device, comprising: a generation step of generating information to be provided to an employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and a current time; and a transmission step of transmitting the generated information to a terminal carried by the employee.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer mounted on a server device to execute a generation process of generating information to be provided to an employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time, and a transmission process of transmitting the generated information to a terminal carried by the employee. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to each aspect of the present invention, a server device, a system, a method for controlling a server device, and a program are provided that contribute to providing more useful information to a user who desires to receive information. Note that the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above. The present invention may achieve other effects instead of or in addition to the effects. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an outline of the operation of one embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the information processing system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the information processing system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of a server device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an employee management database according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the information provision control unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13]FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a terminal according to a modified example of the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] First, an outline of one embodiment will be described. The reference numerals in the drawings are added to each element for convenience as an example to aid in understanding, and the description of the outline is not intended to be limiting. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the blocks shown in each drawing represent functional units rather than hardware units. The connection lines between the blocks in each drawing include both bidirectional and unidirectional. The unidirectional arrows are used to diagrammatically indicate the flow of the main signal (data) and do not exclude bidirectionality. In this specification and the drawings, elements that can be similarly described may be given the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description.

[0015] The server device 100 according to an embodiment includes a generating means 101 and a transmitting means 102 (see FIG. 1). The generating means 101 generates information to be provided to an employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time (step S1 in FIG. 2). The transmitting means 102 transmits the generated information to be provided to a terminal carried by the employee (step S2).

[0016] The server device 100 generates information that takes into account not only the current location of the employee receiving the information (desiring to receive the information) but also the information (employee information) registered with the company where the employee works and the current time, and provides the generated information to the employee. As a result, the employee is provided with information that is more useful to the employee than information generated based on the current location. In other words, convenience for employees (office workers) working at the company is improved.

[0017] Specific embodiments will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0018] [First embodiment] The first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0019] [System configuration] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Fig. 3, the information processing system includes a server device 10. The server device 10 realizes main functions of the information processing system.

[0020] The information processing system according to the first embodiment is a system that provides employees belonging to a company or the like with information that is useful to the employees.

[0021] The server device 10 may be installed in a company building or the like, or may be installed on a network (cloud).

[0022] A user (employee) has a terminal 20. The user inputs various pieces of information to the server device 10 via the terminal 20, and obtains various pieces of information from the server device 10.

[0023] 3 is merely an example and is not intended to limit the configuration of the information processing system disclosed in the present application. For example, the information processing system may include two or more server devices 10.

[0024] [General operation] Next, an outline of the operation of the information processing system according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0025] <Employee information registration> When an employee joins the company, the employee registers his / her information in the server device 10. For example, the employee registers login information (ID, password), name, sex, date of birth, address, contact information (telephone number, email address), biometric information (e.g., face image) and the like in the server device 10.

[0026] In the following description, information about each employee held by the server device 10 will be referred to as "employee information." In addition to names and the like, the employee information also includes information about each employee's schedule, commuting information (for example, the name of the train line used, the nearest station, commuting time), and the like.

[0027] When the employee information is acquired, the server device 10 generates an employee ID for identifying the employee. The server device 10 creates an account using the generated employee ID and the acquired name, etc.

[0028] The server device 10 transmits the generated employee ID to the employee's terminal 20. The terminal 20 stores the received employee ID.

[0029] <Location notification> The terminal 20 carried by the employee calculates its own location information (coordinate information: latitude, longitude) periodically or at a predetermined timing.

[0030] For example, the terminal 20 receives a GPS signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite to perform positioning and generate location information including the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the terminal 20. Alternatively, the terminal 20 may communicate with a wireless access point and treat the location of the wireless access point as the location of the terminal 20. Alternatively, the terminal 20 may generate location information based on the strength of radio waves received from the wireless access point.

[0031] The terminal 20 transmits the generated location information to the server device 10. More specifically, the terminal 20 transmits a "current location notification" including an employee ID and the location information to the server device 10 (see FIG. 4). The server device 10 identifies the employee based on the employee ID, and stores the location information in the account of the identified employee.

[0032] <Information provision> The server device 10 provides useful information to each employee of the company based on the employee information, current location, and current time registered in the account.

[0033] Specifically, the server device 10 estimates the employee's status based on the current location and the current time. The server device 10 generates information to be provided to each employee (hereinafter referred to as provided information) based on the estimated employee's status and the employee information stored in the account. The server device 10 transmits a "provided information notification" including the generated provided information to the terminal 20 carried by the employee (see FIG. 5).

[0034] The terminal 20 performs a display according to the provision information included in the received information provision notification. For example, the terminal 20 performs a display (push notification) as shown in FIG.

[0035] The server device 10 generates information to be provided that is optimal for each employee (optimal for the situation of each employee) according to the status and employee information of each employee. Therefore, the information to be provided to each employee usually includes different contents. Also, the timing at which the information to be provided is sent to each employee usually differs for each employee.

[0036] Next, each device included in the information processing system according to the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0037] [Server device] 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration (processing module) of the server device 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 7, the server device 10 includes a communication control unit 201, an employee management unit 202, an information provision control unit 203, and a storage unit 204.

[0038] The communication control unit 201 is a means for controlling communication with other devices. For example, the communication control unit 201 receives data (packets) from the terminal 20. The communication control unit 201 also transmits data to the terminal 20. The communication control unit 201 passes the data received from the other devices to the other processing modules. The communication control unit 201 transmits the data acquired from the other processing modules to the other devices. In this way, the other processing modules transmit and receive data to and from the other devices via the communication control unit 201.

[0039] The employee management unit 202 is a means for managing employees who belong to the company. For example, the employee management unit 202 realizes the registration of employee information. The employee management unit 202 acquires login information (ID, password), name, sex, date of birth, address, contact information (telephone number, email address), biometric information, etc., via a predetermined web page or the like.

[0040] Furthermore, the employee management unit 202 acquires information regarding the employee's commute (such as the name of the train line used, the nearest station, commuting time, etc.), the employee's employee number, department, position (e.g., department manager, section manager, etc.), job type (e.g., sales, accounting, engineering, etc.), etc.

[0041] Once the name and other information is acquired, the employee management unit 202 generates an employee ID for identifying the employee. The employee ID may be any information that can uniquely identify an employee. For example, the employee management unit 202 may assign a unique value each time employee information is acquired and use this as the employee ID. Alternatively, the employee management unit 202 may substitute the employee number for the employee ID.

[0042] The employee management unit 202 stores the generated employee information such as the employee ID and name in the employee management database. Specifically, when the employee ID is generated, the employee management unit 202 adds a new entry to the employee management database, and stores the employee ID, name, etc. in the added entry (see FIG. 8).

[0043] It should be noted that the employee management database shown in FIG. 8 is merely an example, and is not intended to limit the items stored therein.

[0044] When an employee account is generated (when employee information such as an employee ID and name is registered in the employee management database), the employee management unit 202 issues the generated employee ID to the employee. Specifically, the employee management unit 202 transmits the employee ID to the terminal 20.

[0045] An employee operates the terminal 20 to log in to his / her own account. The employee can input and refer to the schedule in the logged-in account. For example, the employee inputs a schedule related to information about a meeting with another company (date and time of the meeting, name of the other company) and information about a business trip to another company (date and time of the business trip, name of the company to which the business trip will be made) into the server device 10. The employee management unit 202 stores the acquired schedule in the employee management database.

[0046] Alternatively, an employee who works in a free address area inputs the work location in the free address area to the server device 10. The employee management unit 202 stores the acquired work location in the employee management database.

[0047] The employee management unit 202 processes the "current location notification" sent by the employee's terminal 20. The employee management unit 202 searches the employee management database using the employee ID included in the current location notification as a key, and identifies the corresponding entry (employee).

[0048] The employee management unit 202 stores the location information (coordinate information) included in the current location notification in the current location field of the identified entry.

[0049] The information provision control unit 203 is a means for controlling information provision to employees.

[0050] The information provision control unit 203 has a function as a generating means for generating information to be provided to an employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time. Furthermore, the information provision control unit 203 has a function as a transmitting means for transmitting the generated information to the terminal 20 carried by the employee.

[0051] 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information provision control unit 203 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The operation of the information provision control unit 203 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0052] First, the information provision control unit 203 estimates the employee's status periodically or at a predetermined timing (step S101). For example, the information provision control unit 203 estimates the employee's status (latest status) at the timing when the employee's current location is stored in the employee management database. Alternatively, the information provision control unit 203 estimates the employee's status when a predetermined time arrives.

[0053] For example, the information provision control unit 203 assigns the employee's status to one of the following, based on the target employee's current location and current time: "before coming to work," "on the way to work," "start of shift," "morning shift," "lunch break," "afternoon shift," "end of shift," "on the way home," or "after coming home."

[0054] For example, if the current location is a home and the current time is a time period that is considered to be before work (for example, 6:00 to 7:00), the information provision control unit 203 estimates the status of the employee as "before work."

[0055] For example, if the current location is neither home nor work and the current time is during the time period when the employee is likely to be at work (for example, between 7:00 and 8:00), the information provision control unit 203 estimates the employee's status as "at work."

[0056] For example, if the current location changes from near the workplace to the workplace and the current time is within the work start time zone (eg, 8:00 to 9:00), the information provision control unit 203 estimates the status of the employee as "start of work."

[0057] For example, if the current location is the workplace and the current time is a time period before the lunch break, the information provision control unit 203 estimates that the status of the employee is "on morning shift."

[0058] For example, if the current location is at or near the workplace and the current time is during the lunch break, the information provision control unit 203 estimates the status of the employee to be "lunch break."

[0059] For example, if the current location is the workplace and the current time is after the lunch break, the information provision control unit 203 estimates that the employee's status is "on afternoon shift."

[0060] For example, if the current location changes from the workplace to the vicinity of the workplace and the current time is within the time period when work is likely to end (for example, 17:00 to 18:00), the information provision control unit 203 estimates the status of the employee as "end of work."

[0061] For example, if the current location is neither the workplace nor the home, and the current time is during a time period when the employee is likely on the way home (e.g., between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.), the information provision control unit 203 estimates the employee's status as "on the way home."

[0062] For example, if the current location is the employee's home and the current time is within a time period when the employee is likely to have returned home (for example, between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm), the information provision control unit 203 estimates the employee's status as "after returning home."

[0063] In this way, the information provision control unit 203 estimates the state of the employee based on the employee's current location and the current time. More specifically, the information provision control unit 203 estimates the state of the employee as any one of before coming to work, on the way to work, starting work, during morning shift, lunch break, during afternoon shift, finishing work, on the way home, and after returning home.

[0064] After estimating the employee's status, the information provision control unit 203 determines whether the employee's status has changed (determine whether status has changed; step S102). Specifically, the information provision control unit 203 determines whether the status stored in the employee management database (the setting value in the status field) differs from the latest estimated status.

[0065] If the employee's status has not changed (step S103, No branch), the information provision control unit 203 does not perform any particular process.

[0066] If the employee's status has changed (step S103, Yes branch), the information provision control unit 203 stores the estimated employee's status in the employee management database (step S104).

[0067] Thereafter, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided (information useful to the employee) using the estimated latest status of the employee and the employee information stored in the employee management database (step S105).

[0068] The information provision control unit 203 transmits a "notice of information to be provided" including the generated information to be provided to the employee's terminal 20 (to an email address that can be received by the terminal 20 possessed by the employee) (step S106).

[0069] In this way, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided using the estimated employee status and the employee information stored in the employee management database. At that time, the information provision control unit 203 generates the information to be provided at the timing when the employee status changes.

[0070] A specific example of information to be provided that is generated based on the estimated status of each employee and the employee information will be described below.

[0071] <Before going to work> For example, for an employee who is estimated to be about to come to work, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided by referring to the employee's schedule (information about the schedule; schedule information). For example, if a meeting is scheduled for the morning of the day, the information provision control unit 203 calculates the departure time for the employee to arrive at the meeting on time, and generates information to be provided including the calculated departure time. For example, the information provision control unit 203 calculates the difference in commuting time from the start time of the meeting, and calculates the departure time based on the calculated difference.

[0072] The terminal 20 that has received the provided information including the departure time displays (push notification) the information as shown in FIG.

[0073] <At work> For example, for an employee who is estimated to be at work, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided using the schedule of the employee. For example, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided including information on a meeting scheduled for the day. For example, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided including information on the date and time of the meeting, the location of the meeting, the other party of the meeting, etc.

[0074] The terminal 20 that has received the provided information including the information about the meeting (information about the employee's schedule) displays, for example, the information shown in FIG.

[0075] <Start of work> For example, for an employee who is estimated to have started work, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided using the department to which the employee belongs. For example, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided including information on employees who frequently work with the employee (for example, employees in the same department). For example, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided including the attendance status (status; for example, arriving at work, working) and the work location in the free address area for the colleague of the employee who has arrived at the workplace.

[0076] In this case, the information provision control unit 203 reads the status of employees who belong to the same department as the employee and the work location in the free address area from the employee management database, and generates information to be provided using the read information.

[0077] The terminal 20 that receives the provided information including information about employees (colleagues) with whom the user works displays, for example, the information as shown in FIG.

[0078] <Morning shift> For example, for an employee who is estimated to work in the morning, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided using the schedule of the employee. For example, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided including information regarding the start time of lunch. For example, in a company where the lunch break is set to be from 12:00 to 13:00, if a meeting with another company is scheduled to start at 13:00, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided including content (message) suggesting to the employee to start lunch earlier.

[0079] The terminal 20 that has received the provided information including the lunch start time suggestion displays, for example, the information as shown in FIG.

[0080] <Lunch break> For example, for an employee who is estimated to be on a lunch break, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided by using the employee's past schedule. For example, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided that includes information on a meal menu that takes into account the employee's physical condition.

[0081] For example, the information provision control unit 203 determines the physical condition of an employee who has attended many meetings during a predetermined period (for example, 20 or more meetings during the past week) as "fatigued." For an employee determined to be fatigued, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided including information on a menu that is expected to help recover from fatigue. Alternatively, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided including information on a menu that takes into consideration a healthy balance.

[0082] The terminal 20 that has received the provided information including information on the meal menu displays, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0083] The information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided that includes, together with the meal menu, information on the employee cafeteria in the office that offers the meal menu and restaurants operating around the office (such as the name, location, and contact information of the restaurant). In this case, a human resources department employee or the like registers the meal menu and information on the restaurants that offer the meal menu in advance in the server device 10. The information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided using the registered information.

[0084] <Afternoon shift> For example, for an employee who is estimated to be on the afternoon shift (or the morning shift), the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided using the employee's schedule for that day. For example, the information provision control unit 203 may generate suggested information including a message encouraging an employee to do light exercises for an employee who has no events such as meetings scheduled for a predetermined time period (e.g., two hours).

[0085] The terminal 20 that receives the provision information including the message displays, for example, a message as shown in FIG.

[0086] <End of shift> For example, for an employee who is estimated to have finished work, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided using the job type of the employee. For example, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information on an event (event date and time, event location) related to the employee's job type (sales, accounting, engineering, etc.) as information to be provided. In this case, an employee in the human resources department or the like inputs the job type corresponding to the event information into the server device 10. The information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided using the registered information.

[0087] The terminal 20 that has received the provision information including the information related to the event displays, for example, the information as shown in FIG.

[0088] <On the way home> For example, for an employee who is estimated to be returning home, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided using the employee's occupation. For example, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information on mass media related to the employee's occupation as the information to be provided. For example, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided including information on television programs explaining systems such as tax systems for an accounting employee. In this case, an employee in the human resources department inputs the information on mass media and the corresponding occupation to the server device 10. The information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided using the registered information.

[0089] The terminal 20 that has received the provided information including information related to the mass media displays, for example, the information as shown in FIG.

[0090] <After returning home> For example, for an employee who is estimated to have returned home, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided using the age (generation) or position of the employee. For example, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information on an employee who is of the same generation or position as the employee who has returned home and who is highly evaluated by the human resources department or the like, as information to be provided.

[0091] For example, the information provision control unit 203 generates information on how highly evaluated employees spend their time at home as information to be provided. In this case, a personnel department employee or the like inputs the age and position (e.g., section manager, department manager) of highly evaluated employees and the information to be provided (e.g., how they specifically spend their time at home) to the server device 10. The information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided using the registered information.

[0092] The terminal 20 that has received the provided information including the information on the highly rated employees displays, for example, the information as shown in Fig. 17. In this manner, the server device 10 may provide information for the purpose of increasing the motivation of employees who have come into contact with the information on the highly rated employees.

[0093] In this way, the information provision control unit 203 estimates the status of the employee using the employee's current location and the current time. Furthermore, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided using the estimated status and at least one of information related to the employee's schedule, department, job type, position, and commute.

[0094] The information provision control unit 203 may determine the type (content) of the information to be generated by using table information that stores the employee status, items to be referenced from the employee information (e.g., schedule, job type, job title, etc.), and the content of the information to be generated in association with each other. Alternatively, the information provision control unit 203 may determine the type of information to be generated by using an algorithm such as a decision tree.

[0095] Alternatively, the information provision control unit 203 may determine the type (content) of the information to be provided by using a learning model obtained by machine learning. The information provision control unit 203 may input the employee's status and all or part of the employee information into the learning model to obtain the content of the information to be provided to the employee.

[0096] The learning model is obtained by machine learning using a large amount of training data in which labels (contents of provided information) are added to input information (employee status, employee information). Any algorithm such as a support vector machine, boosting, or neural network can be used to generate the learning model. Note that known techniques can be used for the algorithms such as the support vector machine, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0097] Note that the above specific examples are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the content (type) of information to be provided generated by the information provision control unit 203. The information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided to an employee based on the employee's status and employee information.

[0098] Furthermore, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided using a plurality of items included in the employee information. For example, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided using information regarding a schedule and commuting.

[0099] Alternatively, the information provision control unit 203 may generate multiple pieces of information to be provided having different contents for one state. For example, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided for an employee before coming to work using the schedule of the employee, and generate information to be provided using information regarding the employee's commute. The information provision control unit 203 may transmit these pieces of information to be provided having different contents to the terminal 20 carried by the employee at the same time, or may transmit them at different times.

[0100] Furthermore, when the information provision control unit 203 cannot generate information to be provided that is appropriate for the status of an employee, the information provision control unit 203 may not provide information to the employee. For example, for an employee who has no meetings scheduled in the morning, the information provision control unit 203 may not generate information to be provided that has the content corresponding to Fig. 6. In this case, the information provision control unit 203 may not transmit a notification of information to be provided to the employee who has no meetings scheduled in the morning.

[0101] The storage unit 204 is a means for storing information necessary for the operation of the server device 10.

[0102] [Device] Examples of the terminal 20 include mobile terminal devices such as smartphones, mobile phones, game consoles, and tablets. The terminal 20 can be any equipment or device that can accept operations from residents and communicate with the server device 10 and the like. Furthermore, since the configuration of the terminal 20 is clear to those skilled in the art, detailed explanations will be omitted. For example, an application provided by a company may be installed on the terminal 20, and the application may realize the operation of the terminal 20 described above.

[0103] [System Operation] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the information processing system according to the first embodiment, although a description of the operation relating to the registration of employee information will be omitted.

[0104] 18 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the information processing system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. With reference to FIG. 18, a case where the server device 10 provides information to an employee (a terminal 20 carried by the employee) will be described.

[0105] Each employee's terminal 20 calculates its own location information and transmits a current location notification including the calculated location information to the server device 10 (step S01).

[0106] In response to receiving the current location notification, the server device 10 updates the current location of each employee (step S02).

[0107] The server device 10 generates information to be provided at a predetermined timing, and transmits a notification of information to be provided, including the generated information to be provided, to the terminal 20 (step S03).

[0108] When the provision information notification is received, the terminal 20 displays a message or the like according to the provision information acquired from the server device 10 (step S04).

[0109] Next, a modification of the first embodiment will be described.

[0110] <Variation 1> The server device 10 (information provision control unit 203) may generate information to be provided by using other information in addition to information about the employee himself / herself (employee information), the current location, and the current time.

[0111] For example, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided using information obtained from an external server, etc. In other words, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided using information obtained from an external server in addition to employee information, the employee's current location, and the current time.

[0112] For example, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided including whether or not rain gear is required based on the weather forecast at the time of going to work (weather forecast for home and destination). In this case, the information provision control unit 203 may obtain the weather forecast from a server that provides information related to weather forecasts.

[0113] Alternatively, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided regarding an alternative route based on information about the means of transportation when commuting to work (for example, train delay information). For example, when a delay occurs on a line (railroad company) used by an employee, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided that includes, as an alternative route, a route that does not use the delayed line. In this case, the server device 10 may obtain delay information from the server of each railroad company.

[0114] Alternatively, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided that includes information on the congestion state of restaurants (restaurants operating in the vicinity of the company) that are introduced to employees during lunch time. In this case, the server device 10 may obtain the congestion state from a server operated by the restaurant.

[0115] Alternatively, the information provision control unit 203 may obtain information related to the information obtained from the employee's schedule from an external server or the like, and generate information to be provided using the obtained information.

[0116] For example, when information about an employee's work can be acquired from the employee's schedule, the information provision control unit 203 acquires information such as news and television programs related to the acquired work from an external server. Specifically, the information provision control unit 203 extracts a predetermined keyword from the schedule, inputs the extracted keyword into a search service (a server that provides a search service), and acquires information such as news and television programs related to the work.

[0117] For example, for an employee whose schedule shows that he or she has many meetings and conferences related to patents, the information provision control unit 203 inputs a search keyword such as "patent TV program" into a search engine and obtains a search result. The information provision control unit 203 transmits information to be provided including the search result (television programs related to patents) to the employee who is returning home.

[0118] Alternatively, for example, for an employee who has a meeting scheduled with another company (e.g., Company A), the information provision control unit 203 inputs search keywords such as "Company A, news" into a search engine and obtains search results. The information provision control unit 203 transmits information to be provided including the search results (news about Company A) to the employee who is returning home.

[0119] <Variation 2> The employee management database may store not only information related to the work of each employee, but also information related to the hobbies and interests of each employee. For example, information on employees' favorite entertainers, sports, etc. may be stored in the employee management database.

[0120] The information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided based on the hobbies and preferences stored in the employee management database. For example, when the information provision control unit 203 determines that an employee who is returning home is tired because he or she has attended many meetings in the past week, the information provision control unit 203 may generate information to be provided that includes information about the employee's favorite entertainers and sports.

[0121] In this way, if it is determined that an employee is accumulating fatigue based on the employee's schedule (schedule history), the information provision control unit 203 may provide information about entertainment or meals that will be "relaxing" for the employee.

[0122] <Variation 3> The server device 10 may provide an interface that enables employees themselves to set the timing of receiving the provided information, the items of employee information used to generate the provided information, etc. Specifically, the employee management unit 202 may provide an interface that enables selection of the status of employees who are permitted to send the provided information, the items used to generate the provided information, etc.

[0123] For example, the employee management unit 202 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) as shown in Fig. 19 on the terminal 20 in response to an operation by an employee who has logged in to an account. The employee management unit 202 acquires, via the GUI, the timing of receiving the provided information, the items permitted to be used for generating the provided information, and the like.

[0124] The employee management unit 202 stores the acquired setting information (timing for receiving the provided information, items permitted for use when generating the provided information) in the employee management database.

[0125] The information provision control unit 203 determines whether or not to send a notification of information to be provided, and whether or not it is necessary to generate information to be provided, depending on the information set by the employee.

[0126] For example, for an employee who refuses to transmit information during commuting, the information provision control unit 203 does not transmit information to the employee even if information to be provided when the employee arrives at work can be generated. Alternatively, for an employee who refuses to use "schedule" for generating information to be provided, the information provision control unit 203 treats the employee's schedule as not having been input.

[0127] Alternatively, when displaying a GUI such as that shown in FIG. 19, the employee management unit 202 may display statistical information and the like obtained from the settings of other employees (multiple other employees). For example, the employee management unit 202 may display tendencies for each item obtained from employees working in the same department (for example, the ratio of the number of employees requesting information provision during commuting to the number of employees in the same department). Alternatively, the employee management unit 202 may display tendencies of employees of the same age as the employee who sets the information (for example, the ratio of each item (schedule, information regarding commuting, etc.) used in providing information obtained from the setting information of multiple employees of the same age). For example, the employee management unit 202 may display information such as "Schedule: set by 50% employees" and "Information regarding commuting: set by 80% employees."

[0128] In this way, when employee information includes multiple items, the information provision control unit 203 generates information to be provided using items that the employee has permitted to be used for generating the information to be provided among the multiple items. Furthermore, when the employee's status is a status in which the employee has permitted the transmission of information to be provided, the information provision control unit 203 transmits the generated information to be provided to the terminal 20.

[0129] As described above, the server device 10 according to the first embodiment generates information to be provided to an employee based on information (employee information) registered by the employee with the company where the employee works, the current location, and the current time. That is, the server device 10 estimates the state of the employee based on the current location and the current time, and generates information to be provided using the estimated state and information specific to each employee (schedule, position, job type, etc.). As a result, information that is more useful to the employee than information generated simply based on the current location is provided.

[0130] Next, the hardware of each device constituting the information processing system will be described.

[0131] The server device 10 can be configured by an information processing device (so-called a computer), and has the configuration exemplified in Fig. 20. For example, the server device 10 has a processor 311, a memory 312, an input / output interface 313, a communication interface 314, etc. The components such as the processor 311 are connected by an internal bus or the like, and are configured to be able to communicate with each other.

[0132] However, the configuration shown in Fig. 20 is not intended to limit the hardware configuration of the server device 10. The server device 10 may include hardware not shown, and may not include the input / output interface 313 as necessary. In addition, the number of processors 311 and the like included in the server device 10 is not intended to be limited to the example shown in Fig. 20, and for example, the server device 10 may include multiple processors 311.

[0133] The processor 311 is, for example, a programmable device such as a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), or a digital signal processor (DSP). Alternatively, the processor 311 may be a device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor 311 executes various programs including an operating system (OS).

[0134] The memory 312 is a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The memory 312 stores an OS program, application programs, and various data.

[0135] The input / output interface 313 is an interface for a display device and an input device (not shown). The display device is, for example, a liquid crystal display, etc. The input device is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. that accepts user operations.

[0136] The communication interface 314 is a circuit, a module, etc. that communicates with other devices. For example, the communication interface 314 includes a network interface card (NIC).

[0137] The functions of the server device 10 are realized by various processing modules. The processing modules are realized, for example, by the processor 311 executing a program stored in the memory 312. The program can be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can be a non-transitory medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. That is, the present invention can also be embodied as a computer program product. The program can be downloaded via a network or updated using a storage medium storing the program. The processing modules may also be realized by a semiconductor chip.

[0138] The terminal 20 can also be configured by an information processing device like the server device 10, and the basic hardware configuration is no different from that of the server device 10, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0139] The server device 10, which is an information processing device, is equipped with a computer, and can realize the functions of the server device 10 by causing the computer to execute a program. The server device 10 also executes an information providing method by the program.

[0140] [Variations] The configuration, operation, etc. of the information processing system described in the above embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the system configuration, etc.

[0141] In the above embodiment, a push-type information provision by the server device 10 has been described. The information may be provided in response to a request from an employee. That is, the server device 10 may provide information in a pull-type manner. In this case, the employee operates the terminal 20 to request the server device 10 to provide the information when the employee needs the information to be provided. The server device 10 generates information to be provided using the employee's status and employee information at the time the request is received, and transmits the information to the terminal 20.

[0142] The server device 10 may generate information to be provided by utilizing attendance information of employees. Employees may input attendance information using their own accounts, or the server device 10 may cooperate with an in-house attendance management system. The server device 10 (information provision control unit 203) may use the attendance information of employees to estimate their status, or to determine their physical condition (presence or absence of accumulated fatigue). For example, the server device 10 may use the attendance information to calculate accurate commuting times, arrival times at work, and departure times at work, and estimate the status of the employees using the calculated times.

[0143] The server device 10 may use the employee information stored in the employee management database for a purpose other than generating the provided information. For example, the server device 10 may automatically calculate the work location of an employee working in a free address area by using biometric information (e.g., a face image). In this case, the server device 10 acquires image data from a camera installed in the free address area. The server device 10 extracts a face image from the image data, and performs biometric authentication using the extracted face image and a face image registered in the employee management database. The server device 10 identifies an employee working in the free address area by biometric authentication. In addition, the server device 10 identifies the work location of the employee by analyzing the image data. The server device 10 stores the identified work location of the employee in the employee management database.

[0144] The server device 10 may estimate the employee's status as "on vacation." For example, if the employee's current location is at home and it is Saturday, Sunday, or the like, the server device 10 (information provision control unit 203) sets the employee's status to "on vacation." The server device 10 may notify the employee who is set as on vacation of information such as news and television programs related to the employee's work and hobbies and interests.

[0145] Although the format of data transmission between the devices (server device 10, terminal 20) is not particularly limited, the data transmitted between these devices may be encrypted. Personal information such as names is transmitted between these devices, and in order to appropriately protect this information, it is desirable to transmit and receive encrypted data.

[0146] In the flow charts (flow charts, sequence diagrams) used in the above description, multiple steps (processes) are described in order, but the order of execution of the steps executed in the embodiments is not limited to the order described. In the embodiments, the order of the steps shown in the figures can be changed to a degree that does not interfere with the content, such as executing each process in parallel.

[0147] The above-mentioned embodiments have been described in detail to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, and it is not intended that all of the configurations described above are necessary. In addition, when a plurality of embodiments are described, each embodiment may be used alone or in combination. For example, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of an embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of an embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of an embodiment with another configuration.

[0148] From the above explanation, it is clear that the present invention has industrial applicability, and the present invention can be suitably applied to an information processing system that provides various information to users.

[0149] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0150] [Appendix 1] A generating means for generating information to be provided to the employee based on employee information related to the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time; a transmission means for transmitting the generated information to a terminal carried by the employee; A server device comprising: [Appendix 2] The server device according to claim 1, wherein the generation means estimates a state of the employee based on the employee's current location and current time, and generates the information to be provided using the estimated state and the employee information. [Appendix 3] 3. The server device according to claim 2, wherein the generating means generates the provided information when the employee's status changes. [Appendix 4] The employee information includes a plurality of items, The server device according to claim 3, wherein the generation means generates the information to be provided by using items among the plurality of items that the employee has permitted to be used in generating the information to be provided. [Appendix 5] The server device according to claim 4, wherein the transmitting means transmits the generated information to be provided to the terminal when the employee's status is such that the employee is permitted to transmit the information to be provided. [Appendix 6] The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the generation means generates the provided information using the employee information, the employee's current location, and the current time, as well as information obtained from an external server. [Appendix 7] The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the generating means generates the provided information using at least one of information regarding the employee's schedule, department, job type, position, and commute. [Appendix 8] The server device according to any one of appendixes 1 to 5, wherein the generation means estimates the employee's state to be one of before arriving at work, during the arrival at work, the start of work, during morning shift, lunch break, during afternoon shift, the end of work, on the way home, and after arriving home. [Appendix 9] Employee-owned devices and A server device; Including, The server device includes: A generating means for generating information to be provided to the employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time; a transmission means for transmitting the generated information to the terminal carried by the employee; A system comprising: [Appendix 10] The system described in Appendix 9, wherein the generation means estimates the employee's status based on the employee's current location and current time, and generates the provided information using the estimated status and the employee information. [Appendix 11] The system according to claim 10, wherein the generating means generates the provided information when the employee's status changes. [Appendix 12] The employee information includes a plurality of items, The system of claim 11, wherein the generation means generates the provided information using items among the plurality of items that the employee has given permission to be used in generating the provided information. [Appendix 13] The system according to claim 12, wherein the transmitting means transmits the generated provided information to the terminal when the employee's status is such that the employee has been permitted to transmit the provided information. [Appendix 14] The system according to any one of appendices 9 to 13, wherein the generation means generates the provided information using the employee information, the employee's current location, and the current time, as well as information obtained from an external server. [Appendix 15] The system according to any one of appendixes 9 to 13, wherein the generation means generates the provided information using at least one of information regarding the employee's schedule, department, job type, position, and commute. [Appendix 16] The system according to any one of appendixes 9 to 13, wherein the generation means estimates the employee's state to be one of before arriving at work, during the arrival at work, the start of a shift, during a morning shift, during a lunch break, during an afternoon shift, the end of a shift, on the way home, and after arriving home. [Appendix 17] a generation step of generating information to be provided to the employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time; a transmission step of transmitting the generated information to a terminal carried by the employee; A method for controlling a server device comprising: [Appendix 18] The control method for a server device described in Appendix 17, wherein the generation process estimates the status of the employee based on the employee's current location and current time, and generates the provided information using the estimated status and the employee information. [Appendix 19] 19. The method for controlling a server device according to claim 18, wherein the generating step generates the provided information when a status of the employee changes. [Appendix 20] The employee information includes a plurality of items, 20. The server device control method according to claim 19, wherein the generating step generates the provided information using items among the plurality of items that the employee has given permission to be used in generating the provided information. [Appendix 21] The server device control method according to claim 20, wherein the transmitting step transmits the generated provided information to the terminal when the employee's status is such that the employee is permitted to transmit the provided information. [Appendix 22] A method for controlling a server device according to any one of appendices 17 to 21, wherein the generation process generates the provided information using the employee information, the employee's current location, and the current time, as well as information obtained from an external server. [Appendix 23] The method for controlling a server device according to any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the generation step generates the provided information using at least one of information regarding the employee's schedule, department, job type, position, and commute. [Appendix 24] The method for controlling a server device according to any one of appendices 17 to 21, wherein the generation process estimates the employee's state to be one of before arriving at work, during the arrival at work, the start of work, during morning shift, lunch break, during afternoon shift, the end of work, on the way home, and after returning home. [Appendix 25] A computer installed in the server device A generation process of generating information to be provided to the employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time; a transmission process of transmitting the generated information to a terminal carried by the employee; A program for executing. [Appendix 26] The program described in Appendix 25, wherein the generation process estimates the employee's status based on the employee's current location and current time, and generates the provided information using the estimated status and the employee information. [Appendix 27] The program according to claim 26, wherein the generation process generates the provided information when the employee's status changes. [Appendix 28] The employee information includes a plurality of items, The program according to claim 27, wherein the generation process generates the provided information using items among the plurality of items that the employee has given permission to be used in generating the provided information. [Appendix 29] The program according to claim 28, wherein the transmission process transmits the generated provided information to the terminal when the employee's status is such that the employee is permitted to transmit the provided information. [Appendix 30] The program according to any one of appendices 25 to 29, wherein the generation process generates the provided information using the employee information, the employee's current location, and the current time, as well as information obtained from an external server. [Appendix 31] The program according to any one of appendices 25 to 29, wherein the generation process generates the provided information using at least one of information regarding the employee's schedule, department, job type, position, and commute. [Appendix 32] The program according to any one of appendices 25 to 29, wherein the generation process estimates the employee's state to be one of before arriving at work, during the arrival at work, start of shift, morning shift, lunch break, afternoon shift, end of shift, on the way home, and after returning home.

[0151] In addition, some or all of the configurations described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 8 that are dependent on Supplementary Note 1 may also be dependent on Supplementary Notes 9, 17, and 25 in the same dependent relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 8. Furthermore, not limited to Supplementary Notes 1, 9, 17, and 25, some or all of the configurations described as supplementary notes may be similarly made dependent on various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems within the scope of each of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0152] The disclosures of the above cited prior art documents are incorporated herein by reference. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are merely illustrative and that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. In other words, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and amendments that a person skilled in the art can make in accordance with the entire disclosure, including the scope of the claims, and the technical ideas. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 10. Server device 20 Terminals 100 Server device 101 Generation means 102 Transmission means 201 Communication control section 202 Employee Management Department 203 Information provision control section 204 Storage section 311 Processor 312 Memory 313 Input / Output Interface 314 Communication Interface

Claims

1. A generating means for generating information to be provided to the employee based on employee information related to the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time; a transmission means for transmitting the generated information to a terminal carried by the employee; A server device comprising:

2. 2. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the generating means estimates a state of the employee based on a current location of the employee and a current time, and generates the information to be provided by using the estimated state and the employee information.

3. The server device according to claim 2 , wherein the generating means generates the provided information when a status of the employee changes.

4. The employee information includes a plurality of items, 4. The server device according to claim 3, wherein the generating unit generates the information to be provided by using, from among the plurality of items, items that the employee has permitted to be used in generating the information to be provided.

5. 5. The server device according to claim 4, wherein said transmission means transmits said generated information to said terminal when said employee is in a state in which said employee has been permitted to transmit said information to said terminal.

6. 6. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the generating unit generates the information to be provided by using the employee information, the employee's current location, and the current time, as well as information acquired from an external server.

7. The server device according to claim 1 , wherein the generating unit generates the provided information using at least one of information regarding the employee's schedule, department, job type, position, and commute.

8. The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the generation means estimates the employee's state to be one of before arriving at work, during the arrival at work, the start of a shift, during morning shift, lunch break, during afternoon shift, the end of shift, on the way home, and after arriving home.

9. Devices owned by employees, A server device; Including, The server device includes: A generating means for generating information to be provided to the employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time; a transmission means for transmitting the generated information to the terminal carried by the employee; A system comprising:

10. a generation step of generating information to be provided to the employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time; a transmission step of transmitting the generated information to a terminal carried by the employee; A method for controlling a server device comprising:

11. A computer installed in the server device A generation process of generating information to be provided to the employee based on employee information about the employee, the employee's current location, and the current time; a transmission process of transmitting the generated information to a terminal carried by the employee; A program for executing.

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