Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device that allows a target user to understand the influence that sharing of an article by the target user has had on support for a support target.SOLUTION: A service server 10 being an example of an information processing device according to the present invention includes an operation receiving unit 34, an aggregation unit 42 and a notification unit 43. The operation receiving unit 34 receives, from a target user who has viewed an article, a share operation in which the user shares the article with another user as a support action for a support target identified from the article. The aggregation unit 42, after the operation receiving unit 34 receives the share operation from the target user, aggregates the number of other users who have performed a granting operation of granting a prescribed value to the support target on the basis of the article shared by the target user. The notification unit 43 notifies the target user of the aggregation result regarding the number of other users who have performed the granting operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] As a technology related to the frequency of support actions by a person (user) who supports a sports player, an artist, etc., or the history of support actions performed so far, for example, the technology described in Patent Document 1 can be cited. In the technology described in Patent Document 1, calorie points are calculated based on the actions of a user with respect to a certain artist, and contribution points to the artist can be calculated based on the purchase amount of products and services related to the artist and the above calorie points.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Support actions are various. For example, an action of sharing an article related to a support target with other users can be cited. A user (hereinafter, target user) who has performed an article sharing action tends to be interested in support actions performed by other users starting from the article he / she has shared. Therefore, it is desirable for the target user to be able to grasp how much the sharing of the article he / she has performed has contributed to the support for the support target (in other words, the influence of the article sharing), and thereby it can be expected to arouse the motivation to continue supporting. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program for grasping the influence that the sharing of an article by a target user has had on the support for the support target.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an operation reception unit that receives a sharing operation of sharing an article with other users as a support action for a support target specified from the article from a target user who has viewed the article; a counting unit that counts the number of other users who have performed an assignment operation of assigning a predetermined value to the support target based on the article shared by the target user after the operation reception unit has received the sharing operation of the target user; and a notification unit that notifies the target user of the counting result regarding the number of other users who have performed the assignment operation.

Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to notify a target user who has shared an article of the number of other users who have performed an assignment operation based on the shared article. Thereby, the target user can grasp how much influence their article sharing has had on the value assignment (donation) to the support target.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] The information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program of the present invention will be described below with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment").

[0009] Note that the embodiments described below are merely one of the specific examples given for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention. That is, the present invention can be changed or improved from the embodiments described below without departing from its gist. Also, of course, equivalents of the present invention are included.

[0010] Also, the screen examples shown in the drawings referred to in the following description are merely examples, and the configuration examples of the screen, the content of the information displayed, the GUI (Graphical User Interface), etc. can be freely designed according to the system design specifications, user preferences, etc., and can also be changed as appropriate.

[0011] Also, in this specification, "person" and "person" shall include one or more individuals, or a team, group, or organization to which a plurality of individuals belong.

[0012] In the following, a case where the person corresponding to the "support target" is a sports player or the team to which the sports player belongs (hereinafter referred to as "sports player, etc.") will be described as a specific example. However, the support target is not limited to sports players, etc., and may be, for example, an artist (singer), a performing band, an actor, a celebrity, an artist such as a painter, and other persons who perform performances, and the present invention is applicable when supporting any of these.

[0013] <Overview of the Support Service of the Present Embodiment> An overview of a support network service (hereinafter referred to as the "support service") provided using the information processing apparatus of the present embodiment will be described. The support service is provided by a service operation company. As shown in FIG. 1, a user who uses the support service can view articles distributed by various information media (strictly speaking, articles available through a communication network) through a terminal such as a smartphone or a personal computer. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which an article is displayed.

[0014] In the present embodiment, the articles are, for example, sports-related articles including sports game results and the activity status of sports players. Further, examples of the information media that distribute articles include publishing companies such as newspaper companies, news agencies, television stations, radio stations, magazines, portal site operation companies that distribute Internet news, SNS (Social Networking Service) operation companies that allow article posting, individuals or companies that operate blogs, sports organizations, and companies that manage introduction sites for sports players, etc.

[0015] Note that the distribution of articles can be performed under arbitrary conditions. For example, it may be regularly distributed at a predetermined time like Internet news, or articles including keywords set by the user may be searched for and distributed on the Internet.

[0016] In addition, users who use the support service can perform support actions for sports players etc. identified from the articles they view. Specifically explained, when a user views an article on the terminal screen and wishes to support the sports player featured in that article, as shown in Fig. 1, the user touches or clicks the support buttons B1 and B2 that are displayed together with the above-mentioned article. The support buttons B1 and B2 are objects that are displayed on the screen to accept support actions for the support target, and two types are prepared in this embodiment.

[0017] One of the support buttons B1 is a button for accepting an operation (sharing operation) by which the user shares the article they viewed with other users. By touching or clicking the support button B1, the user can share the same article they viewed with other users, for example, the user's friends. A friend is another user who receives an application from the user as a partner with whom the user shares information such as articles and who has accepted that application. Incidentally, a friend also falls under the category of users who use the support service. Note that the partner with whom the user shares the article is not limited to a specific user associated with the user like a friend. For example, the user may share the article with unspecified users through an SNS such as Twitter (registered trademark) or a personal blog.

[0018] Another user who is a friend can view the article shared by the user through their own terminal. Specifically, a share notification as shown in Fig. 2 is displayed on the friend's terminal screen. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which a share notification is displayed.

[0019] When the friend performs a predetermined response operation on this share notification, the same article as the article viewed by the user who performed the sharing operation (for example, the article shown in Fig. 1) will be displayed on the friend's terminal. Note that the procedure for sharing an article is not limited to the above content, and for example, a procedure similar to the procedure for sharing an article on an SNS etc. may be adopted.

[0020] In addition, a friend can further share an article (shared article) viewed by being shared by a user with another user (specifically, a friend of the friend). As a result, the article can be spread (diffused) to many users.

[0021] When one user is the target user, a group of articles including the articles shared by the target user and the articles shared to other users starting from those articles will be hereinafter referred to as the "shared article group of the target user". For example, when three users B, C, and D view an article shared by user A, and user B shares the same article and user E views it, the articles shared by user A and user B, that is, the articles viewed by users B to E, correspond to the shared article group.

[0022] The other support button B2 is a button for receiving an operation (granting operation) for granting a predetermined value to a sports player or the like specified from an article viewed by the user. The predetermined value is, for example, points that can be used in a support service. For example, when a user makes a donation to a predetermined organization, the user may purchase and acquire the above points from the operating organization of the support service. Then, the user can grant the acquired points to a sports player or the like who is the support target. In the present embodiment, the predetermined value is valuable points, but it is not limited thereto, and money that can be used for electronic transactions such as electronic payment including electronic money may be used as the predetermined value. Hereinafter, the predetermined value will simply be referred to as "value".

[0023] When the user touches or clicks the support button B2, an input screen shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the user's terminal. The input screen displays the remaining amount of the value currently held, and is provided with an input field for the predetermined value to be granted. The user determines the value (specifically, the number of points) of the value to be granted within the range of the remaining amount of the value at the current time and inputs it into the input field. As a result, a value corresponding to the input value is granted (donated) to a sports player or the like who is the support target.

[0024] Also, in this embodiment, when the user performs a granting operation, a reward is also granted to the information medium that is the source of the article that triggered the granting operation, and the reward is determined based on the value granted by the granting operation. That is, the value granted (donated) by the user is distributed between the sports player or the like who is the target of support and the information medium that distributed the article, and value is granted to each distribution destination. Note that, in addition to the above, other parties may be added as distribution destinations of the value. For example, an organization operating a sports promotion project may be added. Also, a part of the value granted by the user (strictly speaking, the money obtained by cashing in a part thereof) may be used as operating funds for the support service.

[0025] Incidentally, in this embodiment, as an object for receiving the support actions of users (viewers) who have viewed the article, support buttons B1 and B2 are displayed, but it is not limited to this, and objects other than buttons (for example, a drop-down list, etc.) may be displayed.

[0026] <Regarding the support system> A communication system for a support service (hereinafter referred to as the support system S) will be described with reference to FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the support system S is composed of a service server 10, a user terminal 12, and an article distribution server 14, and these devices are communicably connected to each other through a communication network 16. In FIG. 4, for the sake of illustration, the number of user terminals 12 is three, but the number of user terminals 12 may be any number, and it is sufficient that there is at least one or more in configuring the support system S.

[0027] The service server 10 is an information processing apparatus according to this embodiment, and is a computer used when a user of the support service supports a support target. The service server 10 stores various data necessary for providing the support service, and uses the stored data to execute various information processes related to the support service.

[0028] To explain an example of information processing by the service server 10, the service server 10 executes predetermined processing on the article data received from the article distribution server 14. Specifically, the service server 10 identifies a support target from the article data and executes a process of incorporating into the article data data for displaying support buttons B1 and B2, which are objects for receiving a support act for the identified support target. Then, the service server 10 transmits the processed article data to the user terminal 12.

[0029] Also, the service server 10 receives an operation performed by the user through the user terminal 12 as a support act. Then, the service server 10 executes processing corresponding to the received operation. Specifically, when receiving a share operation as a support act, the service server 10 executes a series of processes related to sharing the article, such as notifying friends of the share of the article viewed by the user. When receiving an awarding operation, the service server 10 identifies the value input by the user and then executes a series of processes for awarding a value corresponding to the input value to the support target.

[0030] The user terminal 12 is a device operated by the user when using the support service, and is composed of a personal computer, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a television receiver, a wearable terminal, and the like. An application program for using the support service is installed in the user terminal 12. The user has acquired an account for the support service and, when using the support service, starts the above application program to access (log in) to the service server 10. At this time, the user may be requested to input login information (for example, account name and password, etc.), but the login information input may be requested only at the first login.

[0031] After logging in, the user can view articles through the user terminal 12. In addition, when the user decides to make a certain sports player or the like published in the viewed article the target of support, the user can operate the user terminal 12 to perform a support action for that sports player or the like.

[0032] Specifically, the user terminal 12 displays an article on the display. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, two types of support buttons B1 and B2 are displayed on the display together with the article. When the user decides to make a sports player or the like (for example, a sports player or the like introduced in the article) specified from the viewed article the target of support, the user selects either a sharing operation or a giving operation and touches or clicks the button corresponding to the selected operation among the two types of support buttons B1 and B2. When the giving operation is selected, an input screen as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the display, and the user inputs the value of the value to be given in the input field in the input screen.

[0033] The article distribution server 14 is a server computer that distributes articles provided for user viewing in the support service. The articles are distributed in the form of digital data, and may be transmitted from the article distribution server 14 to the service server 10 and then from the service server 10 to each user terminal 12. Alternatively, the article distribution server 14 may directly transmit article data to each user terminal 12.

[0034] In the present embodiment, the article data is described in a markup language that can be developed by the browsing function of the user terminal 12, and tags are embedded. A tag is an element that characterizes an article, and for example, corresponds to a heading of the content published in the article. Some tags are set by designating a specific personal name or group name or the like. Here, a tag that designates a specific player (individual) will be referred to as a "unique tag", and a general tag that does not designate a specific player will be referred to as a "predetermined tag".

[0035] The article is set with a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) as link information indicating the location. Based on the URL, the article can be identified, and the information medium where it originated can also be specified from the URL. In addition, the link information of the shared article includes, in addition to the URL, an identification number of the share operation performed to share the article (see Figure 8).

[0036] <Regarding the configuration of the information processing apparatus of the present embodiment> Regarding the hardware configuration of the service server 10 which is the information processing apparatus of the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the service server 10 has a processor 21, a memory 22, a communication interface 23, a storage 24, an input device 25, and an output device 26, and these devices are electrically connected via a bus 27.

[0037] In addition, programs for an operating system (OS) and application programs for providing support services are installed in the service server 10 as software. These programs correspond to the "programs" of the present invention. By operating according to the above programs, the processor 21 causes the service server 10 to function as the information processing apparatus of the present invention and execute a series of processes for providing support services.

[0038] Note that the processor 21 may be composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), MCU (Micro Controller Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. The memory 22 may be composed of semiconductor memories such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The communication interface 23 may be configured by, for example, a network interface card, a communication interface board, or the like. The standard for data communication by the communication interface 23 is not particularly limited, and examples include communication by a wireless LAN based on Wi-fi (registered trademark), communication by a 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile communication system, or communication based on LTE (Long Term Evolution). The storage 24 may be configured by a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an FD (Flexible Disc), a MO disk (Magneto-Optical disc), a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an SD card (Secure Digital card), or a USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory), or the like. Further, the storage 24 may be built into the housing of the service server 10, or may be attached to the server main body in an external form. Furthermore, the storage 24 may be configured by an external computer (for example, a database server) that is communicably connected to the main body of the service server 10. The input device 25 may be configured by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel, or the like. The output device 26 may be configured by, for example, a display and a speaker, or the like.

[0039] Explaining the configuration of the service server 10 from a functional aspect again, the service server 10 has functional units shown in FIG. 6, specifically, an article acquisition unit 31, a support target identification unit 32, an article processing unit 33, an operation reception unit 34, an information storage unit 35, a sharing processing unit 36, and an awarding processing unit 37. The service server 10 of the present embodiment further has a storage unit 39, a share record generation unit 40, an awarding record generation unit 41, a totaling unit 42, and a notification unit 43 as shown in FIG. 6.

[0040] Each of the above-described functional units is realized by the cooperation of the hardware devices of the service server 10 described above, the OS installed in the service server 10, and the application programs for providing support services. Hereinafter, each functional unit will be described.

[0041] The article acquisition unit 31 receives and acquires articles (strictly speaking, article data) sent from each information medium via the article distribution server 14 through the communication network 16. The acquisition of articles by the article acquisition unit 31 may be performed, for example, at a predetermined time every day, or may be performed when a transmission request for an article is received from the user side.

[0042] The support target identification unit 32 identifies the support target from the articles acquired by the article acquisition unit 31. Specifically, when a fixed tag is embedded in the article data, the support target identification unit 32 determines the specific player designated by the fixed tag. The support target identification unit 32 determines whether the identified specific player corresponds to a candidate whose information is registered in the information storage unit 35. If it corresponds to a candidate, the specific player is set as the support target. That is, in the present embodiment, among the plurality of candidates whose information is registered in the information storage unit 35, the candidates whose registered information is included in the article are searched as the support targets to identify the support targets. The candidates are persons (players) contracted as support target candidates, and information about the candidates is registered in advance and stored in the information storage unit 35.

[0043] On the other hand, when a predetermined tag is embedded in the article data, the support target identification unit 32 identifies the support target based on the article. Specifically, based on the predetermined tag, a person other than the specific player (the individual designated by the fixed tag) is identified as the support target. Examples of persons other than the specific player include the team to which the specific player belongs or other players belonging to the team. Note that the specific procedure for identifying the support target from a predetermined tag that does not specify a specific player is not particularly limited. As an example, a team or player associated with a word or the like included in the predetermined tag is set, and when the information of the set team or player is registered in the information storage unit 35, the above team or player is used as the support target.

[0044] When both the fixed tag and the predetermined tag are embedded in the article data, a specific player deduced from the fixed tag and a person other than the specific player set based on the predetermined tag may be respectively identified as the support target, or only one of them (for example, only a person other than the specific player) may be used as the support target.

[0045] In addition, in the present embodiment, the support target identification unit 32 identifies the support target from the fixed tag and the predetermined tag embedded in the article data, but it is not limited thereto, and the support target may be identified from the article text or an image (photo or video) in the article. Specifically, among the keywords registered in the information storage unit 35, a candidate in which the number included in the article is equal to or more than a predetermined number may be identified as the support target. Alternatively, a person may be identified from an image in the article using a known face recognition technology, and the identified person may be identified as the support target.

[0046] The article processing unit 33 executes a process for displaying, on the viewer side of the article, an object (that is, the support buttons B1, B2) for receiving a support action for the support target identified from the article by the support target identification unit 32. In the present embodiment, since the article processing unit 33 displays the support buttons B1, B2 together with the article, the article processing unit 33 executes a process of embedding tag data for displaying the support buttons B1, B2 in the article into the article data. Note that in the present embodiment, the support buttons B1, B2 are displayed together with the article, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the support buttons B1, B2 may be displayed when the user views the article and performs a predetermined operation after the article is displayed.

[0047] The operation reception unit 34 receives the support actions performed by the user through the user terminal 12, that is, the share operation or the grant operation. Specifically, when the user clicks or touches the support button B1, data indicating the operation content is transmitted from the user terminal 12, and the operation reception unit 34 receives the above data from the user terminal 12 to receive the user's share operation. Similarly, when the user clicks or touches the support button B2, the operation reception unit 34 receives the user's grant operation.

[0048] The information storage unit 35 is a database that stores registration information about a plurality of candidates. As shown in FIG. 7, the registration information includes the player ID, name, event type, affiliated team, keywords related to the candidate player (such as the position during the game or a nickname, etc.), and other personal information, etc. In addition to these registration information, for each of the plurality of candidates, the information storage unit 35 stores the past support performance. The support performance is, for example, the number of times the support buttons B1 and B2 were displayed together with the article when being specified as the support target in the past, and the total value of the value granted (donated) when being specified as the support target in the past.

[0049] When the share processing unit 36 receives a share operation from the operation reception unit 34, it sends a share notification of the article to the friends of the user who performed the share operation. When a friend responds to the notification, the share processing unit 36 sends the article (strictly speaking, article data) to be shared to the friend. Here, the article data sent to the friend also embeds display tag data for an object (that is, the support buttons B1 and B2) for receiving a support action for the support target specified from the article. Therefore, when the shared article is displayed on the friend side, the support buttons B1 and B2 are displayed on the friend side together with the above article.

[0050] In this embodiment, the sharing processing unit 36 is configured to send the article shared by the user. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sharing processing unit 36 may notify only the URL of the article shared by the user to the friend. In that case, the friend will access the notified URL by himself / herself and directly obtain the shared article without going through the service server 10.

[0051] Incidentally, in the following description, the user who performs the sharing operation is also referred to as the "sharing source user", and the user who views the article shared by the sharing operation (that is, the friend of the sharing source user) is also referred to as the "sharing destination user".

[0052] When the operation reception unit 34 receives an awarding operation, the awarding processing unit 37 executes a process for allowing the user to input the value of the value awarded by the user through the input screen shown in FIG. 3 and awarding the value corresponding to the input value to the support target. Specifically, the awarding processing unit 37 generates awarding data indicating the value corresponding to the input value, and adds only the value indicated by the awarding data to the value awarded to the support target. As a result, at a later date, points or money corresponding to the added value will be donated to the support target. In addition, the awarding processing unit 37 subtracts the remaining number of values held by the user who performed the awarding operation by the value of the value input by the user.

[0053] When the operation reception unit 34 receives an awarding operation, the reward determination unit 38 identifies the information medium that distributed the article regarding the article being viewed by the user (that is, the viewer of the article) when the awarding operation was performed. More specifically, when the operation reception unit 34 receives an awarding operation, an awarding record related to the awarding operation is recorded in the storage unit 39. The stored awarding record includes the value of the value awarded (that is, the value of the value input by the user) and the article distribution source ID associated with the article viewed by the user who performed the awarding operation. The article distribution source ID corresponds to the medium identification information and is information for identifying the information medium that distributed the article viewed by the user who performed the awarding operation.

[0054] Then, the reward determination unit 38, triggered by the storage of the grant record, determines a reward corresponding to the article distribution source ID included in the stored grant record based on the input value of the value included in the grant record (that is, the value of the value to be granted). The value determined as the reward is later granted to the information medium indicated by the article distribution source ID.

[0055] The storage unit 39 stores the share record and the grant record. The share record is record information generated when a user performs a share operation as a support action. As shown in FIG. 8, the storage unit 39 stores share records for each share operation of each user performed so far. The grant record is record information generated when a user performs a grant operation as a support action. As shown in FIG. 9, the storage unit 39 stores grant records for each grant operation of each user performed so far. Note that each of the share record and the grant record will be described in detail later.

[0056] The share record generation unit 40 generates a share record and stores it in the storage unit 39 when the operation reception unit 34 receives a share operation from the user. The share record generation unit 40 generates a new share record each time the operation reception unit 34 receives a share operation from the user.

[0057] The share record includes an article ID, a user ID, link information, and a share source ID, as shown in FIG. 8. The article ID is identification information of the article to be shared, and the same article ID is set for the same article. The user ID is identification information of the user who performed the share operation, and the same user ID is set for the same user.

[0058] The link information includes the URL of the article shared by the share operation received by the operation reception unit 34 (the part denoted as "http: / / sptkj001", "http: / / sptkj002", etc. in FIG. 8) and the identification information of the share operation received by the operation reception unit 34 (the part denoted as "S001", "S002", etc. in FIG. 8). The identification information of the share operation is set for each share operation. In this embodiment, for example, it is given as a query string in a display format such as " / ?id=S001" at the end of the link information (see FIG. 8).

[0059] The sharing source ID is information for identifying the user who is the sharing source when a user (the sharing destination user) who has viewed the article shared by the sharing source user performs a share operation. For example, the identification information of the share operation performed by the sharing source user corresponds to it. Note that for a share operation where there is no sharing source user (that is, a share operation performed to share an article for the first time starting from oneself), naturally the sharing source ID is not set and is omitted.

[0060] The article ID, user ID, link information, and sharing source ID included in the same share record are associated with each other. Therefore, in the share record generated when a user (the sharing destination user) who has viewed the article shared by the sharing source user receives a share operation, the link information is associated with the sharing source ID. Thereby, the user who is the sharing source can be deduced from the share record. Taking the share record on the second line from the top in FIG. 8 as an example for explanation, this share record is a record of a share operation performed by a user with a user ID of U002, and the user source ID is S001. As can be seen from the link information of the share record on the first line from the top in FIG. 8, S001 is a share operation performed by a user with a user ID of U001. That is, user U002 viewed the article shared by the sharing source user U001 and performed a share operation.

[0061] When the grant record generation unit 41 receives a grant operation from the user by the operation reception unit 34 (that is, when value is granted to the support target), the grant record generation unit 41 generates a grant record and stores it in the storage unit 39. Each time the operation reception unit 34 receives a grant operation from the user, the grant record generation unit 41 generates a new grant record.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 9, the grant record includes an article ID, a user ID, a grant ID, the grant destination of the value, the value of the granted value, a share source ID, and the article distribution source ID described above. The article ID is identification information of the article that triggered the user (i.e., the viewer of the article) to perform the grant operation. For the same article, the same article ID is set. The user ID is identification information of the user who performed the grant operation. For the same user, the same user ID is set. The grant ID is identification information of the grant operation received by the operation reception unit 34 and is set for each grant operation.

[0063] The grant destination of the value indicates a support target such as a sports player to whom value is granted by the user who performed the grant operation. In other words, it indicates the support target specified from the article indicated by the article ID. The value of the granted value is the value input by the user who performed the grant operation for the value granted to the support target.

[0064] The share source ID is information for identifying the user who shared the article (i.e., the user of the share destination who viewed the article shared by the user of the share source) when the operation reception unit 34 receives a grant operation from the user who viewed the article based on the link information notified at the time of article sharing. For example, the identification information of the share operation performed by the user of the share source corresponds to it. That is, the grant record generation unit 41 identifies the share source ID based on the identification information of the share operation included in the above link information. Note that for a grant operation in which there is no user of the share source (that is, a grant operation performed by a user who viewed an article that has not been shared), the share source ID is of course not set and is omitted.

[0065] The article ID, user ID, grant ID, recipient of the value, value of the granted value, sharing source ID, and article distribution source ID included in the same grant record are associated with each other. Therefore, in the grant record generated when a user who has viewed an article shared by the sharing source user (in other words, a user who has viewed an article based on the link information) receives a grant operation, the grant ID, recipient of the value, value of the granted value, etc. are associated with the sharing source ID. As a result, from the grant record and the aforementioned share record, it is possible to identify the sharing source user who shared the article that triggered the grant operation. Taking the grant record on the second line from the top in FIG. 9 as an example, this grant record is a record of a grant operation performed by a user with a user ID of U002, and the user source ID is S001. As can be seen from the link information of the share record on the first line from the top in FIG. 8, S001 is a share operation performed by a user with a user ID of U001. That is, user U002 viewed an article shared by the sharing source user U001 and performed a grant operation.

[0066] After the operation reception unit 34 receives a share operation from any user who has viewed an article (hereinafter referred to as the target user), the aggregation unit 42 aggregates the number of other users who have performed a support act for the support target based on the article shared by the target user. More specifically, the aggregation unit 42 aggregates the share article group of the target user, which includes the article shared by the target user and the articles shared by other users starting from that article. The aggregation result of the share article group represents the number of share times for the article shared by the target user.

[0067] In addition, the aggregation unit 42 performs a first aggregation for aggregating the number of other users who have performed a grant operation based on the share article group of the target user, and a second aggregation for aggregating the value granted by other users who have performed a grant operation based on the share article group of the target user.

[0068] In the first aggregation, the aggregation unit 42 aggregates the number of other users who have performed the granting operation based on the shared article group of the target user, based on the share source ID in the granting record stored in the storage unit 39. In the second aggregation, the aggregation unit 42 aggregates the total value of the values granted by other users who have performed the granting operation based on the shared article group of the target user, based on the value of the granted value and the share source ID in the granting record stored in the storage unit 39.

[0069] In this embodiment, the aggregation unit 42 performs the aggregation of the article share group and the first and second aggregations separately for each support target. As a result, for each support target (specifically, each of the plurality of candidates for which information is registered in the information storage unit 35), the number of shares of the article, the number of users who have viewed the article shared by the target user and performed the granting operation, and the total value of the value granted by the granting operation can be obtained.

[0070] The notification unit 43 generates data indicating the aggregation result in order to notify the target user of the aggregation result by the aggregation unit 42, specifically, the aggregation of the article share group, the aggregation results of the first and second aggregations, and transmits it to the user terminal 12 of the target user. As a result, on the screen of the user terminal 12 of the target user, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the respective aggregation results are displayed. On the screen shown in FIG. 10, the aggregation result of the article share group is notified to the target user. Thereby, the target user can grasp the number of shares of the article he / she has shared.

[0071] Also, on the screen shown in FIG. 11, the aggregation results of the first and second aggregations, that is, the number of other users who have viewed the article shared by the target user and performed the granting operation, and the total value of the value granted in the granting operation are notified to the target user. Thereby, the target user can grasp the number of users who have performed the granting operation based on the article he / she has shared and the total value of the granted value.

[0072] In addition, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the aggregation unit 42 performs the aggregation of the article share group and the aggregation results of the first aggregation and the second aggregation for each support target, the notification unit 43 notifies each aggregation result to the target user for each support target. As a result, the target user can grasp the number of users who have performed the attribution operation based on the articles shared by the user for each support target. Note that notifying the aggregation result for each support target means notifying the aggregation result for each support target when a plurality of support targets are specified from the shared article group of the target user. In addition to aggregating the share group starting from the share of a single user, it is also possible to aggregate the article share group starting from the shares of a plurality of users (for example, all users or users belonging to a predetermined group), and notify the aggregation result.

[0073] <Regarding the information processing flow according to the present embodiment> Next, regarding the processing flow related to the support action triggered by article viewing in the information processing flow by the support system S, it will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14. Note that the processing flow described below employs the information processing method of the present invention. In other words, each step in the processing flow described below corresponds to a component of the information processing method of the present invention.

[0074] In addition, below, an arbitrary single user will be taken as the target user, and the processing flow for the target user will be described. In addition, below, it will be described on the premise that the target user is logged in to the support service.

[0075] The processing flow starts when a computer, which is the service server 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as the computer), receives and acquires an article from the article distribution server 14 (S001). The computer refers to the article data and determines whether either a fixed tag or a predetermined tag is included in the article data, or whether both the fixed tag and the predetermined tag are included (S002 and S003).

[0076] If the computer detects fixed tags in the article data, it searches for the specific athlete specified by the fixed tags from among the candidates registered in the information storage unit 35 (S004). Similarly, if the article data contains predetermined tags, the computer searches for individuals other than the specific athlete based on the predetermined tags from among the candidates registered in the information storage unit 35 (S004). Also, if the article data contains both fixed tags and predetermined tags, the computer searches for the specific athlete specified by the fixed tags and individuals other than the specific athlete based on the predetermined tags from among the candidates registered in the information storage unit 35, respectively (S005).

[0077] After that, the computer determines whether there are multiple candidates retrieved in step S004 and step S005 (S006). If there is only one retrieved candidate, the computer specifies that one candidate as the support target (S007).

[0078] On the other hand, if there are multiple retrieved candidates, the computer specifies the candidates that meet the predetermined conditions as the support targets (S008). Here, the predetermined conditions are conditions related to the frequency of appearance of the retrieved candidates in the article. The computer refers to the article and determines the frequency of appearance (e.g., the number of times the name is mentioned, etc.) of each of the multiple retrieved candidates in the above article, and specifies the candidates from the highest frequency of appearance to the Nth (N is a natural number of 1 or more) as the support targets.

[0079] Note that the conditions (predetermined conditions) set for identifying the support target from a plurality of candidates are not limited to the conditions regarding the appearance frequency in the article. For example, the predetermined conditions may be conditions regarding past support performance, specifically, the number of times the support buttons B1 and B2 were displayed together with the article by being identified as a support target in the past. In this case, the computer refers to the past support performance recorded for each candidate in the information storage unit 35, determines the number of times the support buttons B1 and B2 have been displayed so far for each of the plurality of retrieved candidates, and may identify the candidates up to the Nth (N is a natural number of 1 or more) from the candidates in descending order of the number of displays as the support targets. Conversely, the candidates up to the Nth from the candidates in ascending order of the number of displays may be identified as the support targets. Alternatively, the predetermined conditions may be conditions regarding the total value of the value given (donated) by being identified as a support target in the past. In this case, the computer refers to the past support performance recorded for each candidate in the information storage unit 35, determines the total value of the value given so far for each of the plurality of retrieved candidates, and may identify the candidates up to the Nth from the candidates in descending order of the total value as the support targets. Conversely, the candidates up to the Nth from the candidates in ascending order of the total value of the value given may be identified as the support targets.

[0080] After the support target is identified, the computer executes a process for displaying an object (that is, the support buttons B1 and B2) for receiving a support action for the support target on the viewer side of the article (S009). By the process of this step S009, the tag data for displaying the support buttons B1 and B2 is embedded in the article data.

[0081] Then, the computer transmits the article (the article after the process) to which the above process has been applied to the user terminal 12 of the target user (S010). At this time, the computer updates the information on the number of times the support buttons B1 and B2 were displayed for the candidate identified as the support target in step S007 or S008 among the past support performances recorded in the information storage unit 35 by increasing it by 1 (increment).

[0082] On the user terminal 12 side, an article sent from a computer is displayed on the screen (S011). At this time, support buttons B1 and B2 for receiving support actions for the support target are displayed together with the article. Then, the target user who has viewed the article through the screen clicks or touches one of the support buttons B1 and B2 to perform a support action for the support target specified from the article (S012). Along with this, the user terminal 12 generates data indicating whether the support action performed by the target user is a sharing operation or a granting operation, and transmits it to the computer (S013).

[0083] When the target user performs a granting operation, then, the processing flow proceeds in the flow shown in FIG. 13. First, the computer receives the granting operation of the target user (S021). On the other hand, an input screen of FIG. 3 regarding the value to be granted is displayed on the user terminal 12 of the target user, and the target user (that is, the viewer of the article) inputs the value of the value to be granted on the input screen (S022).

[0084] With the input of the value by the target user, the computer specifies the value of the value input by the target user and the support target to which the value is to be granted, and executes a process for granting a value corresponding to the value input by the target user to the support target, that is, a granting process (S024). Specifically, the computer adds the value to be granted (donated) to the support target by only the value corresponding to the input value of the target user, while subtracting the remaining amount of the value held by the target user by the value corresponding to the input value.

[0085] In addition, the computer generates a granting record indicating the content of the granting process along with the execution of the granting process, and stores it in the storage unit 39 (S023). The granting record generated in this step S023 includes the ID of the target user, the ID of the article that triggered the target user to perform the granting operation, the ID of the granting operation, the value of the value input by the target user, and the support target to which the value is to be granted. Further, the granting record includes the article distribution source ID associated with the article viewed by the target user.

[0086] Also, the computer executes the granting process and the reward determination process (S025). In this step S025, a reward corresponding to the article distribution source ID in the granting record recorded in step S023 is determined based on the value given by the target user. The determined reward is given to the information medium identified by the article distribution source ID after going through a predetermined procedure.

[0087] Returning to step S013 for explanation, when the target user performs a share operation, then the processing flow proceeds in the flow shown in FIG. 14. First, the computer receives the share operation of the target user (S031).

[0088] After that, the computer executes the share process (S032). In this step S032, the computer sets other users associated with the target user, such as friends, as the share destination users, and sends a share notification of the article to the share destination users. When the share destination user responds to the share notification, the computer sends the article shared by the target user to the share destination user. At this time, the display tag data of the support buttons B1 and B2 is also embedded in the article sent to the share destination user. That is, when the article is displayed on the share destination user side, the support buttons B1 and B2 are displayed together with the article. When the share destination user performs a support action for the support target specified from the article, one of the support buttons B1 and B2 is clicked or touched.

[0089] When the share process is executed, the computer generates a share record for the share operation by the target user and stores it in the storage unit 39 (S033). The share record generated and recorded in this step S033 includes the ID of the target user, the ID of the article shared by the target user, and the link information of the article. The link information includes the identification number (share ID) of the share operation by the target user.

[0090] When an article shared by a target user is viewed by a user at the sharing destination (S034), if the user at the sharing destination performs a support action for the support target specified from the article, the computer accepts the support action and executes the accompanying processing.

[0091] Specifically, when the user at the sharing destination performs a sharing operation (S035), the computer executes a sharing process by the same procedure as in step S032 (S036), and then generates a sharing record for the sharing operation performed by the user at the sharing destination and stores it in the storage unit 39 (S037). The sharing record generated in step S037 includes, in addition to the user ID and the article ID, link information of the same article as the article shared by the user at the sharing source, and information for identifying the user at the sharing source (i.e., the sharing source ID), and these pieces of information are associated with each other. The sharing source ID is specified based on the sharing ID included in the link information of the article viewed by the user at the sharing destination who performed the sharing operation.

[0092] On the other hand, when the user at the sharing destination performs an awarding operation (S038), the computer executes an awarding process by the same procedure as in step 023 (S039). Although not shown in FIG. 14, the computer may execute a reward determination process by the same procedure as in step S025 in addition to the awarding process in step S039.

[0093] In addition, the computer generates an awarding record for the awarding operation performed by the user at the sharing destination and stores it in the storage unit 39 along with the execution of the awarding process (S040). The awarding record generated in step S040 includes, in addition to the user ID, the article ID, the article distribution source ID, and the awarding ID, the value of the value input by the user at the sharing destination, the support target to which the value is awarded, and information for identifying the user at the sharing source (i.e., the sharing source ID), and these pieces of information are associated with each other. The sharing source ID is specified based on the sharing ID included in the link information of the article viewed by the user at the sharing destination who performed the awarding operation.

[0094] The above steps S034 to S040 are repeated by the number of other users (i.e., the users at the sharing destination) who have viewed the article shared by the target user (S041).

[0095] On the other hand, when the target user wants to know the number of other users (users at the sharing destination) who have performed the granting operation based on the sharing of the article made by the user himself / herself, the user terminal 12 is operated to request the service server 10 to aggregate and notify the number of such other users (S042). When the service server 10 receives the request from the target user, it performs the aggregation of the article sharing group, and the aggregations of the first aggregation and the second aggregation respectively (S043).

[0096] To explain each aggregation in an easy-to-understand manner, hereinafter, a specific example will be given and explained, where the target user is user A, users B to E have viewed article X shared by user A, user B has further shared article X and user F has viewed it, and users C, D, and F have performed the granting operation based on article X.

[0097] The computer aggregates the sharing article group of user A including article X shared by user A and article X shared by user B starting from article X shared by user A. In the above example, since users B to E have viewed article X shared by user A and user F has viewed article X shared by user B, the aggregation result of the sharing article group of user A, who is the target user, that is, the number of shares of article X is 5.

[0098] In addition, the computer performs a first aggregation to count the number of other users who have performed a granting operation based on the shared article group of the target user. Specifically, the computer refers to the granting records for the granting operations performed based on the shared article group from the storage unit 39. Then, using the share source ID included in the granting record (i.e., information for identifying the user who is the share source) as a clue, the computer counts the number of users who have performed a granting operation based on the shared article group of the target user. In the above example, since users C, D, and F correspond to other users who have performed a granting operation based on the shared article group of user A, the aggregation result is three people.

[0099] Furthermore, the computer performs a second aggregation to count the total value of the values granted by other users who have performed a granting operation based on the shared article group of the target user to the support target. Specifically, the computer refers to the granting records for the granting operations performed based on the shared article group from the storage unit 39. Then, using the share source ID included in the granting record (i.e., information for identifying the user who is the share source) and the value of the granted value as clues, the computer aggregates (sums) the values of the values granted by each user who has performed a granting operation based on the shared article group of the target user. In the above example, if users C, D, and F have performed a granting operation based on the shared article group of user A and have granted values of 500P, 200P, and 400P respectively, the aggregation result is 1100P.

[0100] After the aggregation is performed through the above procedure, the computer generates data for notifying each aggregation result to the target user and transmits it to the user terminal 12 of the target user. On the target user side, the aggregation result is displayed on the screen of the user terminal 12 (see FIGS. 10 and 11), and the target user can grasp each aggregation result through the screen.

[0101] <Summary> The service server 10, which is an information processing apparatus according to this embodiment, is an information processing apparatus having an operation reception unit 34, a totaling unit 42, and a notification unit 43. The operation reception unit 34 receives, from a target user who has viewed an article, a share operation of sharing the article with other users as a support action for a support target specified from the article. The totaling unit 42 totals the number of other users who have performed an assignment operation of assigning value to the support target based on the article shared by the target user after the operation reception unit 34 has received the share operation from the target user. The notification unit 43 notifies the target user of the totaling result regarding the number of other users who have performed the assignment operation. With the above configuration, the target user can grasp, starting from the article shared by himself / herself, how many users have assigned value to the support target, that is, how much influence his / her article sharing has had on the value assignment (donation) to the support target.

[0102] Also, in this embodiment, the totaling unit 42 totals the number of other users who have performed an assignment operation based on the group of shared articles of the target user, including the article shared by the target user and the articles shared by other users starting from that article. In this way, by totaling the number of other users who have performed an assignment operation based on the group of shared articles of the target user and notifying the result, the target user can grasp, starting from the article shared by himself / herself, how many users have assigned value (donated).

[0103] Also, in this embodiment, the totaling unit 42 performs a first totaling of the number of other users who have performed an assignment operation based on the group of shared articles, and a second totaling of the value assigned by other users who have performed an assignment operation based on the group of shared articles. The notification unit 43 notifies the target user of the respective totaling results of the first totaling and the second totaling. With the above configuration, the target user can respectively grasp, starting from the article shared by himself / herself, the number of users who have assigned value (donated) to the support target and the total value (total donation amount) of the value assigned to the support target.

[0104] Also, in the present embodiment, the aggregation unit 42 performs the first aggregation and the second aggregation for each support target, and the notification unit 43 notifies the target user of the aggregation result for each support target. As a result, the target user can grasp, for each support target, the number of users who have given value (donation) to the support target starting from the article shared by the user himself / herself, and the total value given to the support target.

[0105] Also, in the present embodiment, when the operation reception unit 34 receives a share operation from the user, link information of the article including the share ID is generated. Further, the link information generated when the operation reception unit 34 receives a share operation from a user (share destination user) who has viewed the article shared by the share source user is associated with the share source ID. Then, when the operation reception unit 34 receives an addition operation from a user who has viewed the article based on the link information, the share source ID is stored in the storage unit 39 based on the share ID included in the link information, and the aggregation unit 42 aggregates the number of other users who have performed the addition operation based on the shared article group based on the share source ID stored in the storage unit 39. In the above configuration, for the article viewed by the share destination user, the share source user can be determined from the link information of the article and the like. As a result, the addition operations of other users performed based on the article shared by the target user can be specified, and from the specific result, the number of users who have given value to the support target starting from the article shared by the target user can be appropriately aggregated.

[0106] Also, in the present embodiment, when the operation reception unit 34 receives an addition operation from a user who has viewed the article based on the link information, the value of the added value is stored in the storage unit 39 in association with the share source ID. In this case, the aggregation unit 42 aggregates the total value of the value given to the support target by other users who have performed the addition operation based on the shared article group based on the value stored in the storage unit 39 and the share source ID associated with the value. In the above configuration, the value of the value given by other users is associated with the user who shared the article viewed by other users (the sharing source user). It is possible to identify the value of the value given in each giving operation and the sharing source user who shared the article that triggered each giving operation. Further, from the identification result, the total value of the value given to the support target starting from the article shared by the target user can be appropriately aggregated.

[0107] In addition, the information processing method according to the present embodiment is a method in which a computer receives a sharing operation of sharing an article with another user as a support action from a target user who has viewed the article to a support target specified from the article, and after receiving the sharing operation from the target user, the computer counts the number of other users who have performed a giving operation of giving a predetermined value to the support target based on the article shared by the target user, and the computer notifies the target user of the counting result regarding the number of other users who have performed the giving operation. According to the above information processing method, the target user can grasp how many users have given value to the support target starting from the article shared by the user himself / herself.

[0108] Note that the information processing method according to the present embodiment is realized by the service server 10 alone or in combination with the service server 10 and the user terminal 12. Here, the service server 10 may be a server computer for ASP (Application Service Provider), SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In this case, since a series of information processing related to the support service (excluding information input and display) is executed by the service server 10, on the user terminal 12 side, only information input for using the support service and display of information provided by the support service need to be performed.

[0109] Also, in this embodiment, a program that causes a computer, which is the service server 10, to function as an information processing apparatus has been described. This program is a program that can be read by a computer. The program causes the computer to accept a sharing operation in which a user who has viewed an article shares the article with other users as a support action from the user who viewed the article to a support target specified from the article. After accepting the sharing operation from the target user, the program causes the computer to total the number of other users who have performed an awarding operation of awarding a predetermined value to the support target based on the article shared by the target user, and causes the computer to notify the target user of the total result regarding the number of other users who have performed the awarding operation.

[0110] Note that the above program may be obtained by being read from a computer-readable recording medium (media), or may be obtained by being received (downloaded) via a network such as the Internet or an intranet.

[0111] <Other Embodiments> So far, specific examples have been given and described regarding the information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program of the present invention. However, the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments are also conceivable.

[0112] In the above embodiment, the service server 10 functions as the information processing apparatus of the present invention. However, a part of the functions of the service server 10 may be provided in the user terminal 12. For example, the article acquisition unit 31 and the support target specifying unit 32 may be provided in the user terminal 12. In that case, the user terminal 12 directly acquires an article from the article distribution server 14 and specifies a support target from the acquired article. Thereafter, when the user terminal 12 reports the specified support target to the service server 10, the service server 10 generates tag data for displaying an object (that is, support buttons B1 and B2) for accepting a support action for the reported support target together with the article. When the tag data is transmitted from the service server 10 to the user terminal 12 and expanded at the user terminal 12, the support buttons B1 and B2 are displayed on the screen of the user terminal 12 together with the article.

[0113] Further, in the above embodiment, a share operation and a grant operation can be performed as support actions for the support target, and the user clicks or touches the button corresponding to the support action specified by the user among the support buttons B1 and B2. That is, in the above embodiment, one of the share operation and the grant operation can be performed as a support action, but the present invention is not limited to this, and both operations may be performed as support actions. Alternatively, the support action may be only the grant operation. Further, an operation other than the share operation and the grant operation (for example, an operation of sending a support message to the support target) may be performed as a support action.

Explanation of Signs

[0114] 10 Service server (information processing apparatus) 12 User terminal 14 Article distribution server 16 Communication network 21 Processor 22 Memory 23 Communication interface 24 Storage 25 Input device 26 Output device 27 buses 31 Article acquisition unit 32 Support target identification unit 33 Article processing unit 34 Operation reception unit 35 Information storage unit 36 Sharing processing unit 37 Grant processing unit 38 Reward determination unit 39 Memory unit 40 Share record generation unit 41 Grant record generation unit 42 Aggregation unit 43 Notification unit B1, B2 Support buttons (objects) S Support system

Claims

1. an operation receiving unit that receives a sharing operation from a target user who has viewed an article to share the article with other users as an act of support for a support target identified from the article; a counting unit that counts the number of other users who have performed an assignment operation to assign a predetermined value to the support target based on the article shared by the target user after the operation accepting unit accepts the share operation from the target user; a notification unit that notifies the target user of a count result regarding the number of other users who have performed the granting operation; An information processing device having the above configuration.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the counting unit counts the number of other users who performed the giving operation based on a group of shared articles of the target user, including the article shared by the target user and the articles shared by other users starting from the article shared by the target user.

3. The tallying unit is A first counting operation is performed to count the number of other users who performed the giving operation based on the group of shared articles. A second calculation is performed to calculate the predetermined value given by other users who performed the giving operation based on the group of shared articles. The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the notification unit notifies the target user of each of the tally results of the first tally and the second tally.

4. The counting unit performs the first counting and the second counting for each of the support targets, The information processing device according to claim 3 , wherein the notification unit notifies the target user of the tally result for each support target.

5. When the operation reception unit receives the share operation from a user, link information of the article including identification information of the share operation is generated; the link information generated when the operation receiving unit receives the share operation from a user who has viewed the article shared by the sharer user is associated with information for identifying the sharer user, When the operation receiving unit receives the adding operation from a user who has viewed the article based on the link information, information for identifying the user who has shared the information based on the identification information included in the link information is stored in a storage unit; The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the counting unit counts the number of other users who performed the giving operation based on the group of shared articles based on information for identifying the user who shared the article and stored in the memory unit.

6. When the operation receiving unit receives the adding operation from a user who has viewed the article based on the link information, The value of the given predetermined value is stored in the storage unit in association with information for identifying the user who has shared the content; The information processing device described in claim 5, wherein the calculation unit calculates the total value of the specified value granted to the support target by other users who performed the granting operation based on the group of shared articles based on the value of the specified value stored in the memory unit and information for identifying the user who shared the value of the specified value associated with the value of the specified value.

7. A computer receives a sharing operation from a target user who has viewed an article to share the article with other users as an act of support for a support target identified from the article, After receiving the share operation from the target user, the computer counts the number of other users who performed an assignment operation to assign a predetermined value to the support target based on the article shared by the target user; An information processing method in which a computer notifies the target user of a count result regarding the number of other users who performed the granting operation.

8. A computer readable program comprising: A computer is caused to receive a sharing operation from a target user who has viewed an article, for sharing the article with other users as an act of support for a support target identified from the article; After receiving the share operation from the target user, a computer counts the number of other users who have performed an assignment operation to assign a predetermined value to the support target based on the article shared by the target user; A program that causes a computer to notify the target user of a count result regarding the number of other users who performed the granting operation.

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