Information providing apparatus, information providing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information providing apparatus, an information providing method, and a program capable of providing information with a simple operation by a user.SOLUTION: An information providing apparatus comprises: a virtual space generation unit 201 that generates a virtual space by arranging a plurality of three-dimensional objects; a link information storage unit 301 that stores, in association, an object and link information indicating a link to content data, the content data being information related to the object; a reception unit that receives selection of an object from a user terminal 100; a link acquisition unit that acquires the link information associated with the selected object; a launcher menu generation unit 203 that generates a launcher menu, which is a menu of launchers for which the acquired link information is set; a menu arrangement unit that arranges the generated launcher menu within a virtual space; and an output unit that receives selection of a launcher, and outputs the link information which is set for the selected launcher to the user terminal 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for arranging various objects on a virtual space and providing information related to the objects are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an information providing system that displays a three-dimensional virtual space in which virtual buildings are arranged as objects on a web page. When this information providing system receives an input for instructing a virtual building, it displays a list of information associated with the virtual building and provides the selected information.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In this information providing system, the list of information associated with the virtual building is displayed on a page different from the web page that displays the three-dimensional virtual space. Therefore, the user has to switch between the web page that displays the virtual space and the page that displays the list of the names of the provided information, or close the page and perform a selection operation for another virtual building before viewing the provided information, which is time-consuming. Also, there was room for improvement in terms of providing information with a simple operation by the user.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an information providing apparatus, an information providing method, and a program capable of providing information with a simple operation by a user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, an information providing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a virtual space generation unit that arranges a plurality of three-dimensional objects to generate a virtual space, a link information storage unit that stores in association with each other an object and link information indicating a link to content data which is information related to the object, a reception unit that receives a selection of an object from a user terminal, a link acquisition unit that acquires the link information associated with the selected object, a launcher menu generation unit that generates a launcher menu which is a menu of a launcher in which the link information acquired by the link acquisition unit is set, a menu arrangement unit that arranges the launcher menu generated by the launcher menu generation unit on the virtual space, and an output unit that receives a selection of the launcher and outputs the link information set in the selected launcher to the user terminal.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, when an object on the virtual space is selected, a launcher menu which is a menu of a launcher in which the link information associated with the selected object is set is generated, and the generated launcher menu is arranged on the virtual space. The user can browse the information of the link destination indicated by the link information set in the launcher by selecting the launcher from among the launcher menus. Therefore, the user can acquire information with a simple operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, an information providing apparatus, an information providing method, and a program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] An example in which the information providing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to the information providing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be used for explanation. First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the information providing system 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the information providing system 1 includes a user terminal 100 that receives user input, a metaverse platform 200 that generates a three-dimensional virtual space, and a content management server 300 that manages information associated with objects arranged in the virtual space. The user terminal 100, the metaverse platform 200, and the content management server 300 are communicably connected via a network 400.

[0011] The user terminal 100 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a desktop personal computer, a notebook personal computer, etc. The user terminal 100 displays an object on a three-dimensional virtual space generated by the metaverse platform 200. Further, the user terminal 100 receives a user operation and displays information associated with each object in response to the received user operation.

[0012] As illustrated in FIG. 2(a), the metaverse platform 200 generates a three-dimensional virtual space, which is a virtual city in which a plurality of objects 30 such as stores, buildings including buildings, roads, trees, moving objects, etc. are arranged on a floor map 31, and causes the user terminal 100 to display it. The metaverse platform 200 determines which part of the generated virtual space is to be presented to the user according to the operation of the user terminal 100 by the user, and outputs the object 30 located in the determined area.

[0013] Returning to FIG. 1, the content management server 300 stores link information indicating respective links to various websites such as a homepage for displaying information about the object 30, an SNS (Social Networking Service), an online store, and map information, in association with each object 30.

[0014] The information providing system 1 automatically generates a launcher menu that lists launchers, which are icons that accept the selection of an object 30 in a virtual space and display the link destination of link information associated with the selected object 30, and arranges it in the virtual space. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2(b), when an object 30 of a certain store is selected, the information providing system 1 generates the launcher menu illustrated in FIG. 2(c) and arranges it in the virtual space. When one launcher is selected by the user from the displayed launcher menu, the information providing system 1 causes the user terminal to display the website that is the link destination of the link information set for the selected launcher, as illustrated in FIG. 2(d). Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the information providing system 1 arranges distribution objects 32 for distributing event information, advertisement information, publicity information, etc. in the virtual space, and performs control for distributing these information in the virtual space during a preset period.

[0015] Next, with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of the metaverse platform 200 and the content management server 300 will be described.

[0016] The metaverse platform 200 includes a virtual space generation unit 201 that generates a three-dimensional virtual space in which objects 30 are arranged, an object information storage unit 202 that stores object information including the shape data, arrangement position, rotation angle, etc. of each object 30, a launcher menu generation unit 203 that generates a launcher menu that is a list of link information associated with each object 30, a link destination transition unit 204 that causes a screen transition to the link destination set for the launcher, and a distribution control unit 205 that performs control for causing the distribution object 32 to distribute pre-registered distribution information.

[0017] The virtual space generation unit 201 performs setting processing of a three-dimensional virtual space in which the object 30 is arranged. The virtual space generation unit 201 arranges various objects 30 indicating, for example, buildings, roads, trees, water surfaces, arranged objects, etc. in the virtual space. Specifically, the virtual space generation unit 201 reads out the object information stored in the object information storage unit 202, obtains the shape, position, rotation angle, etc. of each object 30, and arranges each object 30.

[0018] The object information storage unit 202 stores object information including shape data of each object 30, arrangement position, rotation angle, link information of a website that provides information about each object 30, etc. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the object information includes an object ID that identifies the object 30, attribute data indicating the attributes of the object 30, arrangement position data indicating the arrangement position of the object 30, rotation angle data indicating the rotation angles around the X, Y, and Z axes of the object 30, shape data indicating the three-dimensional shape of the object 30, and link information of a website that provides information about each object 30. The attribute data includes name data indicating the name of the object 30 and type data indicating the type of the object 30. The arrangement position data indicates three-dimensional coordinates indicating the position where the object 30 is arranged in the virtual space, and indicates, for example, the X coordinate, Y coordinate, and Z coordinate in the world coordinate system. The rotation angle data indicates the rotation angles around the X, Y, and Z axes of the object 30. The three-dimensional shape data is data for displaying the object 30 as a three-dimensional image, and includes primitive data such as polygon data, element graphic data such as spheres, cuboids, and cones. The link information includes the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the linked site. The object information storage unit 202 refers to the link information table stored in the link information storage unit 301 of the content management server 300, obtains the link information of each object 30 using the object ID as a key, and stores it in association with each object 30.

[0019] Returning to FIG. 1, the launcher menu generation unit 203 generates a launcher menu that displays a list of launchers, which are icons for displaying the link destinations of the link information associated with each object 30. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the launcher menu 10 includes a launcher 11 with a link set to an object page illustrated in FIG. 8, which summarizes the link information of each object 30 on one page, a launcher 12 with a link set to a website that provides information about the object 30, text data 13 arranged under each icon for identifying the link destination of the link indicated by the icon, and a button 14 for closing the launcher menu. When an object 30 is specified by the user on the virtual space displayed on the user terminal 100, the launcher menu generation unit 203 acquires the link information associated with this object 30 from the content management server 300. The launcher menu generation unit 203 generates the launcher menu 10 based on the acquired link information and displays it on the virtual space. Details of the processing by the launcher menu generation unit 203 will be described later. Note that the launcher menu generation unit 203 is an example of a reception unit and a menu arrangement unit.

[0020] Returning to FIG. 1, the link destination transition unit 204 causes the screen displayed on the user terminal 100 to transition to the link destination set in the launcher. Specifically, when a launcher in the launcher menu is selected by the user, the link destination transition unit 204 reads out the link information set in the selected launcher and causes the screen to transition to the website that is the link destination. Note that the link destination transition unit 204 is an example of an output unit.

[0021] The distribution control unit 205 performs control to cause the pre-registered information to be distributed to the distribution object 32. Specifically, the distribution control unit 205 acquires the current date and time from a timer included in the metaverse platform 200, and acquires the distribution information table illustrated in FIG. 6 registered in the content management server 300. The distribution control unit 205 compares the distribution period of each distribution information set in the distribution information table with the current date and time, and causes the distribution information for which the current date and time is within the distribution period to be displayed on the distribution object 32 in the virtual space. Details of the processing by the distribution control unit 205 will be described later.

[0022] Returning to FIG. 1, the content management server 300 includes a link information storage unit 301 that stores link information of a website that provides information on each object 30, a distribution information storage unit 302 that stores information to be distributed to the distribution object 32, a page generation unit 303 that generates an object page illustrated in FIG. 8 that summarizes information for each object 30, and a page storage unit 304 that stores the object page generated by the page generation unit 303.

[0023] The link information storage unit 301 stores a link information table that associates link information of a website that provides information on each object 30 with each object 30. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the link information table includes information such as a "link information ID" for uniquely identifying the link information, a "display name" that is information to be displayed in the virtual space, a "link destination" indicating the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the destination site, and an "object ID" for uniquely identifying the object 30 in the virtual space.

[0024] Returning to FIG. 1, the distribution information storage unit 302 stores a distribution information table indicating information to be displayed by the distribution object 32 for displaying event information, advertisement information, promotional information, etc. on the virtual space. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the distribution information table includes a "distribution information ID" for uniquely identifying the information, a "distribution content" indicating the information to be displayed on the distribution object 32, a "start date / time" indicating the date / time when the distribution starts, an "end date / time" indicating the date / time when the distribution ends, and an "object ID" for uniquely identifying which object 30 on the virtual space the information is related to. Note that when the information to be displayed on the distribution object 32 is not information related to the object 30 arranged on the virtual space, for example, in the case of information notifying the schedule of system maintenance, the item of the object ID may be blank.

[0025] Returning to FIG. 1, the page generation unit 303 generates an object page illustrated in FIG. 8, which displays, on one page, the attribute information of each object 30, the distribution information that is the information displayed in the virtual space by the distribution object 32, and the link destinations of the link information associated with each object 30. As illustrated, the object page includes "OBJECT DATA" indicating the attribute information of the target indicated by the object 30, "INFORMATION" indicating the information displayed in the virtual space by the distribution object 32, and "SOCIAL MAP" indicating the link destinations associated with the object 30. The attribute information includes, for example, information such as the name, address, business hours, and service content of the object 30. Specifically, the page generation unit 303 receives an input of attribute information from the user and inputs the acquired attribute information into a template prepared in advance. Also, the page generation unit 303 extracts the link information of the object 30 to be created using the object ID as a key from the link information table illustrated in FIG. 7, generates link icons with the link destinations set in the extracted link information, and sets them in the template. Further, the page generation unit 303 extracts the distribution information of the object 30 to be created using the object ID as a key from the distribution information table illustrated in FIG. 6, compares the current date and time with the start date and time and the end date and time included in the extracted distribution information, and if it is determined that there is distribution information to be distributed, causes the distribution content set in the distribution information to be displayed on the object page.

[0026] Returning to FIG. 1, the page storage unit 304 stores the object pages of each object 30 generated by the page generation unit 303.

[0027] The metaverse platform 200 having the functional configuration described above, and the content management server 300 each physically include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21 that executes processing according to a program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 22 that is a volatile memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 23 that is a non-volatile memory, a storage unit 24 that stores data, an input unit 25 that receives input of information, a display unit 26 that visualizes and displays information, and a communication unit 27 that transmits and receives information, and these are connected via an internal bus 99.

[0028] The CPU 21 executes various processes by reading a program stored in the storage unit 24 into the RAM 22 and executing it. As the main functions provided by the program, the CPU 21 executes processes by a virtual space generation unit 201, a launcher menu generation unit 203, a link destination transition unit 204, a distribution control unit 205, and a page generation unit 303.

[0029] The RAM 22 is used as a work area for the CPU 21. The ROM 23 stores a control program, BIOS (Basic Input Output System), etc. that the CPU 21 executes for the basic operations of the metaverse platform 200 and the content management server 300.

[0030] The storage unit 24 includes a hard disk drive, stores programs executed by the CPU 21, and stores various data used during program execution. The storage unit 24 functions as an object information storage unit 202, a link information storage unit 301, a distribution information storage unit 302, and a page storage unit 304.

[0031] The input unit 25 is a user interface including a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The input unit 25 acquires information input by the user and notifies the acquired information to the CPU 21.

[0032] The display unit 26 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display that visualizes and displays information.

[0033] The communication unit 27 is a network termination device or a wireless communication device that connects to a network, and a serial interface or a LAN (Local Area Network) interface that connects to them.

[0034] Next, the operation of the information providing system 1 will be described.

[0035] The information providing system 1 accepts the selection of an object 30 in the virtual space, generates a launcher menu 10 that displays a list of launchers that display the link destination of the link information associated with the selected object 30 as illustrated in FIG. 5, arranges it in the virtual space, and executes an information providing process of transitioning to the link destination set in the selected launcher and a distribution process of displaying distribution information on the distribution object 32. Therefore, first, with reference to FIG. 10, the operation of the information providing process by the information providing system 1 will be described.

[0036] In the object information storage unit 202 of the metaverse platform 200, as a preliminary preparation, object information including shape data, arrangement position, rotation angle, link information, etc. of each object 30 as illustrated in FIG. 4 is stored in advance. The object information is created, for example, by the administrator of the information providing system 1 and stored in the object information storage unit 202. The virtual space generation unit 201 generates a virtual space by arranging various objects 30 based on the object information.

[0037] In addition, in the link information storage unit 301 of the content management server 300, a link information table exemplified in FIG. 7 is pre-stored as a preparation. The administrator of the information providing system 1 identifies in advance the URL of each website and the object ID of the object 30 targeted by this website, and inputs the identified URL, object ID, link information ID, and display name into the table data to create a link information table and store it in the link information storage unit 301. The object information storage unit 202 refers to the link information table stored in the link information storage unit 301, acquires the link information of each object 30 using the object ID as a key, and adds it to the object information. For example, when the object ID "X0001" is the target, the "display name" and "link destination" of each of the link information IDs "A001", "A002", "A003",... are acquired and added to the object information, and the object information exemplified in FIG. 4 is stored.

[0038] In addition, in the distribution information storage unit 302 of the content management server 300, a distribution information table exemplified in FIG. 6 is pre-stored, which shows information such as event information, advertisement information, and publicity information to be displayed in the virtual space. The administrator of the information providing system 1 inputs information including a "distribution information ID" for uniquely identifying the distribution information, a "display content" indicating the information to be displayed on the distribution object 32, a "start date and time" indicating the date and time to start the distribution, an "end date and time" indicating the date and time to end the distribution, and an "object ID" for uniquely identifying which object 30 in the virtual space the information is related to, into the table data to create a distribution information table and store it in the distribution information storage unit 302.

[0039] In addition, the page storage unit 304 of the content management server 300 stores the object page illustrated in FIG. 8. The administrator of the information providing system 1 inputs the attribute information of the object 30 into the template of the object page prepared in advance. The page generation unit 303 extracts the link information of the object 30 to be created using the object ID as a key from the link information table illustrated in FIG. 7, generates a link icon with the link destination set in the extracted link information, and sets it in the template. Further, the page generation unit 303 extracts the distribution information of the object 30 to be created using the object ID as a key from the distribution information table illustrated in FIG. 6, compares the current date and time with the start date and time and end date and time included in the extracted distribution information, and if it is determined that there is distribution information for the distribution target, causes the distribution content set in the distribution information to be displayed on the object page. Further, when the object page is stored in the page storage unit 304, the page generation unit 303 generates the link information of this object page and adds it to the object information stored in the object information storage unit 202.

[0040] Returning to FIG. 10, when the user accesses the virtual space created by the virtual space generation unit 201 using the user terminal 100, the information providing system 1 starts processing.

[0041] The launcher menu generation unit 203 of the metaverse platform 200 accepts the selection of the object 30 on the virtual space (step S101). Specifically, the launcher menu generation unit 203 accepts object selection data indicating that a selection operation of the object 30 has been performed from the user terminal 100. The object selection data includes the object ID of the selected object 30.

[0042] Next, when the launcher menu generation unit 203 receives the object selection data, it determines that the object 30 has been selected (step S102; Yes), and determines whether link information is set for the selected object 30 (step S103). Specifically, the launcher menu generation unit 203 checks the information included in the "link information" of the object information illustrated in FIG. 4 using the object ID included in the object selection data as a key, and determines whether there is link information. On the other hand, when the launcher menu generation unit 203 has not received the object selection data, it determines that the object 30 has not been selected (step S102; No), and accepts the selection of the object 30 (step S101). Note that the launcher menu generation unit 203 is an example of a link acquisition unit.

[0043] Returning to step S103, when the launcher menu generation unit 203 determines that there is link information for the object 30 (step S103; Yes), it acquires the link information associated with the object 30 from the link information storage unit 301, and acquires the link information of the object page from the page storage unit 304.

[0044] Next, the launcher menu generation unit 203 generates the launcher menu 10 based on the acquired link information (step S104). Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the launcher menu generation unit 203 generates a circular launcher 11 with the link information of the object page set therein and circular launchers 12 with the link information of various websites set therein, respectively, and arranges each launcher 11, 12 based on a preset rule. For example, as illustrated, the launcher 11 is arranged at the center, and based on a rule such as arranging the launcher 12 at equal intervals on the circumference of a circle with a radius larger than the sum of the radii of the launcher 11 and the launcher 12 with the center of the launcher 11 as the center, the launchers 11, 12 are arranged. Next, the launcher menu generation unit 203 assigns a launcher ID to each launcher 12 and stores it in the storage unit 22. Next, the launcher menu generation unit 203 arranges text data indicating the display name of each launcher 12 below each launcher 12, and arranges a button 14 for closing the launcher menu 10 at the lowermost part to generate the launcher menu 10. Note that the rules for arranging the launcher 11 and the launchers 12 may be arbitrarily determined, and each launcher 11, 12 may be arranged in a single row in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, or may be arranged in multiple rows.

[0045] Returning to FIG. 10, next, the virtual space generation unit 201 displays the launcher menu 10 generated in step S104 on the virtual space (step S105). Next, the link destination transition unit 204 accepts a selection operation of the launchers 11, 12 of the displayed launcher menu 10 or the button 14 for closing the launcher menu 10 (step S106). Specifically, the launcher menu generation unit 203 accepts selection operation data indicating that a selection operation of the launchers 11, 12 or the button 14 has been performed from the user terminal 100. The selection operation data includes an ID for identifying which of the launchers 11, 12 or the button 14 has been selected.

[0046] When the link destination transition unit 204 receives the selection operation data, it reads out the ID included in the selection operation data and identifies which launcher 11, 12 or button 14 has been selected. When the link destination transition unit 204 identifies that the launchers 11, 12 have been selected, it determines that a launcher has been selected (step S107; Yes) and acquires the link information set for the identified launcher.

[0047] Next, the link destination transition unit 204 causes the screen displayed on the user terminal 100 to transition to the website that is the link destination indicated by the acquired link information (step S108).

[0048] Returning to step S106, when the link destination transition unit 204 identifies that the button 14 for closing the launcher menu 10 has been selected, it determines that a launcher has not been selected (step S107; No) and closes the launcher menu 10 (step S109). Next, it returns to step S101 and accepts the selection of the object 30.

[0049] Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the operation of the distribution process for causing the information providing system 1 to display information on the distribution object 32 will be described.

[0050] The distribution control unit 205 of the metaverse platform 200 reads out the distribution information table stored in the distribution information storage unit 302 at preset unit times such as every minute, every 10 minutes, every hour, every day (step S201).

[0051] Next, the distribution control unit 205 acquires the current date and time from the timer provided in the metaverse platform 200 (step S202).

[0052] Next, the distribution control unit 205 determines whether there is information to be distributed (step S203). Specifically, the distribution control unit 205 compares the current date and time acquired in step S202 with the start date and time and end date and time of each distribution information included in the distribution information table illustrated in FIG. 6, and identifies the distribution information within the distribution period. For example, when the current date and time is 0:00 on September 2, 2023, since the start date and time of the distribution information ID "T0001" is 0:00 on September 2, 2023 and the end date and time is 0:00 on September 15, 2023, this distribution information is identified as the distribution information within the distribution period, and it is determined that there is distribution information to be distributed (step S203; Yes).

[0053] Next, the distribution control unit 205 acquires the distribution information specified in step S203 from the distribution information table, causes it to be displayed on the distribution object 32 (step S204), and ends the process. As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the distribution content is displayed on the distribution object 32 in the virtual space, and the user can view it.

[0054] Returning to step S203, when the distribution control unit 205 determines that there is no distribution information to be distributed (step S203; No), the process ends.

[0055] As described above, when the object 30 in the virtual space is selected, the information providing system 1 acquires the link information associated with the selected object 30, generates the launcher menu 10 which is a launcher menu for displaying the link destination of the acquired link information, and arranges the generated launcher menu 10 in the virtual space. The user can view the information of the link destinations set in the launchers 11 and 12 by selecting the launchers 11 and 12 from the launcher menu 10. Therefore, the user can select the information to be viewed without navigating to various pages, and thus can acquire information with a simple operation.

[0056] Without departing from the gist of the present disclosure, it is possible to make selections from the configurations listed in the above embodiments or to appropriately change them to other configurations.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the link destination transition unit 204 is configured to transition the screen of the user terminal 100 to a website such as a homepage or an SNS, but the present invention is not limited to this. The link destination transition unit 204 may cause the user terminal 100 to display image data, video data, etc. as content data other than the website. In that case, the image data and video data may be stored in the storage unit 24 of the content management server 300, and the link information to this content data may be stored in the object information and the link information table. The launcher menu generation unit may generate a launcher in which the link information to this content data is set, and when a launcher in which the link information of the image data and video data is set is selected, the link destination transition unit 204 may execute a process of displaying the image data and video data on the user terminal 100 instead of transitioning to the website.

[0058] Also, in the above embodiment, the shapes of the launchers 11 and 12 are circular, but the shape is arbitrary. It is not limited to a circle, and may be a polygon such as a triangle or a quadrilateral, or various shaped icons may be stored in the storage unit 24 in advance, and for each link information, the administrator may select an icon and set it as the launchers 11 and 12. Further, in accordance with the display name of the link information, a preset icon may be automatically selected and set as the launcher 11 or the launcher 12.

[0059] Also, the virtual space generated by the metaverse platform 200 does not have to be a model imitating a city, and may be a model of a shopping street, a tourist destination, a facility, or the like.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the functions provided by the information providing system 1 have been described as being executed by individual devices of the metaverse platform 200 and the content management server 300, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the functions of each device may be executed by an information providing device which is a single computer.

[0061] Further, the information stored in the object information storage unit 202, the link information storage unit 301, the distribution information storage unit 302, and the page storage unit 304 is collectively managed by a cloud server existing on the network, and the information providing system 1 may access the cloud server as needed to read and write information. In this case, the metaverse platform 200 may not include the object information storage unit 202, and the content management server 300 may not include the link information storage unit 301, the distribution information storage unit 302, and the page storage unit 304.

[0062] Also, the metaverse platform 200 and the content management server 300 can be realized using a normal computer system instead of dedicated devices. For example, a program for realizing each function in the metaverse platform 200 or the content management server 300 is stored and distributed on a recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), and a computer that can realize the above-described functions may be configured by installing this program on a computer.

[0063] Also, when each function is realized by sharing between the OS (Operating System) and the application or by cooperation between the OS and the application, only the application may be stored on the recording medium.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0064] 1 Information providing system, 100 User terminal, 200 Metaverse platform, 201 Virtual space generation unit, 202 Object information storage unit, 203 Launcher menu generation unit, 204 Link destination transition unit, 205 Distribution control unit, 300 Content management server, 301 Link information storage unit, 302 Distribution information storage unit, 303 Page generation unit, 304 Page storage unit, 400 Network, 10 Launcher menu, 11, 12 Launcher, 13 Text data, 14 Button, 21 CPU, 22 RAM, 23 ROM, 24 Storage unit, 25 Input unit, 26 Display unit, 27 Communication unit, 30 Object, 31 Floor map, 32 Distributed object, 99 Internal bus.

Claims

1. A virtual space generation unit that arranges a plurality of three-dimensional objects to generate a virtual space; A link information storage unit that stores the object and link information indicating a link to content data that is information related to the object in an associated manner; A reception unit that receives a selection of the object from a user terminal; A link acquisition unit that acquires the link information associated with the selected object; A launcher menu generation unit that generates a launcher menu that is a menu of a launcher in which the link information acquired by the link acquisition unit is set; A menu arrangement unit that arranges the launcher menu generated by the launcher menu generation unit on the virtual space; An output unit that receives a selection of the launcher and outputs the link information set in the selected launcher to the user terminal; An information providing apparatus comprising the above.

2. The object includes a distribution object that distributes information on the virtual space, A distribution information storage unit that stores distribution information including information distributed by the distribution object and a period during which the information is distributed; A distribution control unit that acquires the distribution information from the distribution information storage unit, specifies the information for which the current date and time is within the period, and causes the distribution object to distribute the specified information; The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the above.

3. A page generation unit that generates an object page that displays, in a list, the attribute information of the object and the link information associated with the object; the launcher menu generation unit generates the launcher menu including a launcher that displays the object page generated by the page generation unit; The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The object includes an object indicating a store that provides a product or service, The link information stored by the link information storage unit includes at least one link among the homepage of the store, map information, an online store, and an SNS (Social Networking Service); The information providing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A step of arranging a plurality of three-dimensional objects to generate a virtual space; A step of storing the object and link information indicating a link to content data that is information related to the object in an associated manner; ​ A step of receiving a selection of the object; A step of obtaining the link information associated with the selected object and generating a launcher menu which is a menu of the launcher set with the obtained link information; A step of arranging the generated launcher menu on the virtual space; A step of receiving a selection of the launcher and outputting the link information set in the selected launcher; An information providing method including the above.

6. On a computer, A process of arranging a plurality of three-dimensional objects to generate a virtual space; A process of associating and storing the object with link information indicating a link to content data which is information regarding the object; A process of receiving a selection of the object; A process of obtaining the link information associated with the selected object and generating a launcher menu which is a menu of the launcher set with the obtained link information; A process of arranging the generated launcher menu on the virtual space; A process of receiving a selection of the launcher and outputting the link information set in the selected launcher; A program for causing the above to be executed.

Images