Content providing device, content providing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a content providing device, a content providing method, and a program capable of presenting a content more effectively.SOLUTION: A content providing device 100 includes: a header display section 130 for displaying a list of headers of contents on a screen; an acquisition section for acquiring an instruction regarding selection of a header from those displayed on a screen; a providing section 150 for providing a content pertaining to the selected header when the instruction is acquired; and an identification section 160 for identifying a header of another content on the basis of the header of the content selected immediately before in a list. The header display section 130 displays on the screen, a header of another content identified by the identification section by automatic scrolling after completion of a providing state of a provided content.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a content providing apparatus, a content providing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for providing content via a network are known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In such a technique, a list of content headings is displayed on the screen, and the selected content is provided. Then, when the viewing of the content is finished, the list presented immediately before is displayed again, waiting for the selection of the next content. However, if there is no content of interest to the user in the displayed list, the user has to search for another content by himself / herself, which is time-consuming. Therefore, from the viewpoint of presenting content more effectively, there is room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above actual situation, and an object thereof is to provide a content providing apparatus, a content providing method, and a program that can present content more effectively.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a content providing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a heading display unit that displays a list of content headings on the screen; An acquisition unit that acquires an instruction to select any one from the headings displayed on the screen; A providing unit that provides the content related to the selected heading when the instruction is acquired; In the list, a specifying unit that specifies the headings of other contents based on the heading of the content selected immediately before; Comprising; After ending the provision state of the provided content, the heading display unit displays the headings of the other contents specified by the specifying unit within the screen by automatic scrolling.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a content providing apparatus, a content providing method, and a program that can present content more effectively.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. This embodiment is for explanation purposes and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art can adopt embodiments in which each of these elements or all of these elements are replaced with equivalents thereof, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0010] An example in which a content providing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a content providing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The content providing system 1 is a system that acquires information on content to be presented to a user from a server 200, displays a title of the content on a display screen of the content providing apparatus 100, and provides the user with the content corresponding to the title selected by the user.

[0011] The content providing system 1 includes a content providing apparatus 100 and a server 200, and the content providing apparatus 100 and the server 200 are connected via a communication network 300 such as the Internet. In FIG. 1, one content providing apparatus 100 is shown, but the number of content providing apparatuses 100 applicable in the content providing system 1 is not limited to this, and a plurality of content providing apparatuses 100 may be applied. Here, the content means digital content. Specifically, the content is article content such as columns and news, video content, music content, and the like.

[0012] The content providing device 100 is a computer that operates based on operations by a user who uses (views) content, and includes, for example, information terminals such as smartphones, tablets, and PCs (Personal Computers). An application for viewing content managed by the server 200 is installed in the content providing device 100. When an operation indicating application startup is performed by the user, the content providing device 100 starts the application, acquires content from the server 200, and displays and outputs the content. Thereby, the user can view the content.

[0013] When the content providing device 100 starts the application, it acquires a presentation list indicating information on the content to be presented to the user from the server 200, and displays a list of headings of the content included in the presentation list on the display screen. Here, an example of the list of headings displayed on the display screen 101 is shown in FIG. 2. As shown in the figure, sections are provided for each category of content such as columns, news, and videos in the list of headings, and in each section, heading icons 102, which are icons representing the headings of the respective content, are arranged horizontally. The heading icon 102 includes, for example, a thumbnail image, character information, etc. representing the content corresponding to the heading icon 102. Also, at a predetermined position of the heading icon 102, either an icon 103a indicating that the content corresponding to the heading icon 102 has not been viewed or an icon 103b indicating that it has been viewed is arranged.

[0014] Each section displayed on the display screen 101 is displayed so as to be scrollable in the vertical direction. For example, in the illustrated list of headings, when scrolled downward, the heading icons 102 of the "video" content and another section arranged below the "video" content are displayed on the display screen 101.

[0015] Also, in each section, the heading icons 102 of each content are arranged in a row so as to be scrollable horizontally. Specifically, the heading icons 102 are arranged in the right direction in the order of the highest display order set in the presentation list. For example, when scrolled to the right in the area of the "Column" section, other heading icons 102 arranged on the right side of the heading icon 102 of "[30th] Column XX" are visibly displayed within the display screen 101.

[0016] When any of the heading icons 102 displayed on the display screen 101 is selected by the user's selection operation, the content providing apparatus 100 hides the heading list and causes the content corresponding to the selected heading icon 102 to be displayed on the display screen 101. Here, an example of the transition state of the display screen 101 is shown in FIG. 3. In the heading list illustrated in FIG. 3(a), when the heading icon 102 of "30th Column XX" in the "Column" section is selected, as illustrated in FIG. 3(b), the content corresponding to the selected heading icon 102 is displayed on the display screen 101.

[0017] Also, when the user finishes browsing the content and performs an operation to close the content, the content providing apparatus 100 causes the heading list that was previously displayed to be displayed on the display screen 101 again. For example, when the close button 104 arranged on the display screen 101 illustrated in FIG. 3(b) is pressed, the content providing apparatus 100 closes the content page and causes the heading list illustrated in FIG. 3(c) to be displayed on the display screen 101 again. In the redisplayed heading list, an icon 103b indicating that it has been viewed is arranged instead of the icon 103a indicating that it has not been viewed for the heading icon 102 of the content "30th Column XX" that was previously browsed.

[0018] When the content providing device 100 redisplay the list of headings, it refers to the browsing history of the content in the same category as the content viewed immediately before, and identifies other content to be presented to the user. The content providing device 100 performs an automatic scroll to the right in the target section of the list of headings until the heading icon 102 of the identified content is displayed. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3(d), when it is identified that "[27th] Column YY" is the content presented to the user, the content providing device 100 performs an automatic scroll to the right in the "Column" section of the list of headings shown in FIG. 3(c) until the heading icon 102 of the identified "[27th] Column YY" is visibly displayed within the display screen 101.

[0019] Returning to FIG. 1, the server 200 is composed of one or more server computers. The server 200 is, for example, operated by a content provider or the like, and is a device used when the provider creates, registers, etc. the content.

[0020] Specifically, the server 200 stores a content management table for managing the registered content. Here, an example of the content management table stored in the server 200 is shown in FIG. 4. As shown in the figure, the content management table includes information such as "Content ID" which is information uniquely identifying the content, "Category" indicating the category of the content, "Heading Icon ID" which is information uniquely identifying the heading icon 102 of the content, "URL" (Uniform Resource Locator) indicating the URL of the content, and "Registration Date" indicating the year, month, and day when the content was registered.

[0021] When the content providing device 100 starts an application for viewing content in response to a user operation, the server 200 generates a presentation list of the content to be presented to the user based on the content management table and sends it to the content providing device 100. For example, the server 200 extracts several pieces of content with a new registration date for each category of content, ranks them in ascending order of the registration date, and generates a presentation list. The server 200 sets this ranking as the display ranking. Here, an example of the presentation list is shown in FIG. 5. As shown in the figure, the presentation list includes information such as "Category" which is information for identifying the category of each content, "No." which is information for defining the display ranking of each content, "Content ID" which is information for uniquely identifying each content, and "Heading Icon ID" which is for uniquely identifying the heading icon 102 of each content.

[0022] In addition, the server 200 identifies the URL of the content corresponding to the heading icon 102 selected by the user from among the heading icons 102 included in the heading list displayed on the display screen 101 and sends it to the content providing device 100.

[0023] The communication network 300 can include various types of networks. For example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a telecommunication network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a wireless network, a public switched network, a satellite network, a cellular network, a public land mobile network (PLMN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a private network, an ad hoc network, an intranet, an optical fiber-based network, and / or a combination of these or other types of networks.

[0024] (Functional Configuration of Content Providing Device) Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the functional configuration of the content providing apparatus 100 will be described. The content providing apparatus 100 includes a presentation list acquisition unit 110, a browsing history database 120, a heading display unit 130, an input reception unit 140, a provision unit 150, and an identification unit 160.

[0025] The presentation list acquisition unit 110 acquires the presentation list exemplified in FIG. 5, which is generated by the server 200. The presentation list acquisition unit 110 transmits the acquired presentation list to the heading display unit 130.

[0026] The browsing history database 120 is a database that stores the browsing history of the content viewed by the user who uses the content providing apparatus 100. Here, an example of the browsing history database 120 is shown in FIG. 7. As shown, the browsing history database 120 includes information such as "content ID" for uniquely identifying the content and "latest display date and time" indicating the most recent date and time when the content was displayed.

[0027] Returning to FIG. 6, based on the presentation list acquired by the presentation list acquisition unit 110 and the browsing history database 120, the heading display unit 130 causes the heading list exemplified in FIG. 2 to be displayed on the display screen 101. Specifically, based on the "category" included in the presentation list, the heading display unit 130 arranges the sections for each category so as to be vertically scrollable, and displays the content heading icons 102 in each section in the display order set by the "No." included in the presentation list so as to be horizontally scrollable. When all the sections included in the presentation list cannot be displayed on the display screen 101 at once, the heading display unit 130 scrolls the display screen 101 vertically to display all the sections on the display screen 101. Also, in each section, when all the heading icons 102 cannot be displayed on the display screen 101 at once, the heading display unit 130 scrolls the display screen 101 horizontally to display all the heading icons 102 on the display screen 101.

[0028] Further, the heading display unit 130 refers to the browsing history database 120 and causes the display screen 101 to display whether each content corresponding to the heading icon 102 has been browsed or not. Specifically, the heading display unit 130 determines whether each content has been browsed by determining whether the content ID of the content corresponding to the heading icon 102 is included in the browsing history database 120. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the heading display unit 130 displays an icon 103a indicating that it has been browsed or an icon 103b indicating that it has not been browsed at a predetermined position of the heading icon 102 of each content according to the determination result. Note that the heading display unit 130 may display only one of the icon 103a indicating that it has been browsed and the icon 103b indicating that it has not been browsed.

[0029] Returning to FIG. 6, the input reception unit 140 receives an instruction input for selecting any one of the heading icons 102 displayed on the display screen 101. When a heading icon 102 is selected, the input reception unit 140 refers to the presentation list illustrated in FIG. 5, specifies the content ID associated with the heading icon ID of the selected heading icon 102, and requests the server 200 to transmit the URL of the content with the specified content ID. Note that the input reception unit 140 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0030] The providing unit 150 provides the content corresponding to the heading icon 102 for which an instruction input has been received by the input reception unit 140. Specifically, when the providing unit 150 acquires the URL of the content from the server 200, it accesses the acquired URL to acquire the content data and causes the content to be displayed on the display screen 101. The providing unit 150 causes the content to be displayed on the display screen 101 by generating a new page for displaying the content. Therefore, while the content is being displayed, the heading list displayed on the display screen 101 becomes non-displayed.

[0031] When the specific unit 160 detects that the viewing of the content provided by the providing unit 150 has ended, it identifies other content corresponding to the heading icon 102 to be newly displayed within the display screen 101 based on the defined rules. For example, the specific unit 160 identifies content in the same category as the content viewed immediately before, among the content with a lower display order than the content viewed immediately before, that has not been provided (not viewed) to the user and has the highest display order in the presentation list, and identifies the content to be presented to the user based on rules such as presenting it to the user. The specific unit 160 notifies the heading display unit 130 of the heading icon ID of the identified content. The heading display unit 130 executes automatic scrolling until the heading icon 102 corresponding to the notified heading icon ID is displayed within the display screen 101. In this way, after the viewing (provision state) of the provided content has ended, the heading display unit 130 causes the heading of the content identified by the specific unit 160 to be displayed within the display screen 101 by automatic scrolling.

[0032] (Hardware Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus) FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus 10 in which a content providing apparatus 100 and a server 200 are realized. The information processing apparatus 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that executes processing according to a program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 that is a volatile memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13 that is a non-volatile memory, a storage unit 14 that stores data, an input unit 15 that receives input of information, a display unit 16 that visualizes and displays information, and a communication unit 17 that transmits and receives information, and these are connected via an internal bus 99.

[0033] The CPU 11 controls the operation of the entire information processing apparatus 10, is connected to each component, and exchanges control signals and data. The CPU 11 executes various processes by reading out the program stored in the storage unit 14 into the RAM 12 and executing it. As the main functions provided by the program, the CPU 11 executes each process by the heading display unit 130, the providing unit 150, and the specifying unit 160. Note that the CPU 11 may execute each process by the presentation list acquisition unit 110 and the input reception unit 140.

[0034] The RAM 12 is for temporarily recording data and programs, and holds programs and data read from the storage unit 14, other data necessary for communication, and the like. The RAM 12 is used as the work area of the CPU 11.

[0035] The ROM 13 stores control programs, BIOS (Basic Input Output System), etc. that the CPU 11 executes for the basic operation of the information processing apparatus 10.

[0036] The storage unit 14 includes a hard disk drive, a flash memory, etc., stores the programs executed by the CPU 11, and stores various data used during program execution. The storage unit 14 functions as the browsing history database 120.

[0037] The input unit 15 is a user interface including a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, a communication device, etc. The input unit 15 receives an operation input from the user of the information processing apparatus 10 and outputs a signal corresponding to the received operation input to the CPU 11. The input unit 15 functions as the input reception unit 140.

[0038] The display unit 16 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display that visualizes and displays information.

[0039] The communication unit 17 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. The information processing device 10 communicates with other information processing devices and the like via the communication unit 17. The communication unit 17 functions as a presentation list acquisition unit 110 and a provision unit 150.

[0040] (Content provision process) Next, the operations of the content provision device 100 and the server 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. When the user operates the content provision device 100 and logs in to an application for viewing the content pre-installed in the content provision device 100, the content provision process is started.

[0041] When the server 200 detects that the user has logged in to the application, it transmits a presentation list of the content to be presented to the user to the content provision device 100 (step S151). Specifically, the server 200 extracts the content to be presented to the user based on the content management table illustrated in FIG. 4, and generates a presentation list illustrated in FIG. 5. The server 200 generates a presentation list by extracting content for each category based on a rule such as extracting a set number of minutes of content with a newer registration date, and ranking them in ascending order of the registration date. Note that the rule for determining the content to be presented to the user is not limited to this, and for example, content predicted to be of high interest to the user for each category may be extracted from the user's past browsing history, or content with a large total number of views by all users may be extracted according to any rule.

[0042] Next, the presentation list acquisition unit 110 of the content provision device 100 acquires the presentation list transmitted from the server 200 (step S101). The presentation list acquisition unit 110 transmits the acquired presentation list to the heading display unit 130.

[0043] Next, based on the presentation list acquired by the presentation list acquisition unit 110, the heading display unit 130 causes a heading list that displays the heading icons 102 of the content included in the presentation list to be displayed on the display screen 101 (step S102). Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3(a), based on the "category" included in the presentation list illustrated in FIG. 5, the heading display unit 130 arranges sections for each category so as to be vertically scrollable, and scrolls the heading icons 102 of the content in each section from left to right in descending order of the display order set by the "No." included in the presentation list. For example, in the heading list first displayed on the display screen 101, the heading icon 102 of the content with the highest display order set in the presentation list is displayed so as to be visible within the display screen 101. When the user scrolls it to the right, the heading icon 102 of the content with a lower display order is displayed within the display screen 101.

[0044] Also, the heading display unit 130 refers to the browsing history database 120 and causes the display screen 101 to display whether each content included in the presentation list has been browsed or not, together with the heading icon 102. Specifically, the heading display unit 130 determines whether each content has been browsed by determining whether the content ID of each content is included in the browsing history database 120. The heading display unit 130 displays an icon 103a indicating that it has been browsed or an icon 103b indicating that it has not been browsed at a predetermined position of the heading icon 102 of each content according to the determination result.

[0045] Next, the input reception unit 140 waits for the selection of the heading icon 102 (step S103). Specifically, the input reception unit 140 receives an instruction input for selecting any one of the heading icons 102 from the heading list displayed on the display screen 101. The user operates the input unit 15 to select any one of the heading icons 102 from the initially displayed heading list, or scrolls the heading list vertically or horizontally to display another section or another heading icon 102 on the display screen 101, and then selects any one of the heading icons 102.

[0046] When the input reception unit 140 detects that the heading icon 102 has been selected (step S104; Yes), it refers to the presentation list acquired in step S101 to identify the content ID associated with the heading icon ID of the selected heading icon 102. The input reception unit 140 transmits the identified content ID to the server 200 (step S105), and requests the server 200 to transmit the URL of the content corresponding to the identified content ID. Note that the input reception unit 140 may transmit the user ID, which is information for uniquely identifying the user.

[0047] On the other hand, when the input reception unit 140 determines that the heading icon 102 has not been selected (step S104; No), it returns to step S103 and waits for the selection of the heading icon 102.

[0048] Next, when the server 200 receives the content ID transmitted in step S105, it transmits the URL of the content corresponding to the received content ID to the content providing apparatus 100 (step S152). Specifically, the server 200 refers to the content management table illustrated in FIG. 4, identifies the URL of the content corresponding to the received content ID, and transmits the identified URL to the content providing apparatus 100.

[0049] Next, the providing unit 150 causes the content to be displayed on the display screen 101 (step S106). Specifically, the providing unit 150 accesses the URL received from the server 200 to obtain content data, and generates a new page for displaying the obtained content data, thereby causing the content to be displayed on the display screen 101 as illustrated in FIG. 3(b). Further, the providing unit 150 causes the storage unit 14 to store the display states of the sections and the heading icons 102 in the heading list displayed immediately before. The display state includes information such as the positions of the respective sections on the display screen 101, the positions and sizes of the heading icons 102.

[0050] Next, the providing unit 150 updates the browsing history database 120 illustrated in FIG. 7 (step S107). Specifically, the providing unit 150 updates the browsing history database 120 by newly storing the content ID and the display time of the content displayed in step S106 in the browsing history database 120.

[0051] Next, the providing unit 150 determines whether or not the browsing of the content displayed on the display screen 101 in step S106 has ended (step S108). Specifically, when the providing unit 150 detects that the page of the content has been closed by an operation input such as the close button 104 arranged on the display screen 101 illustrated in FIG. 3(b) being pressed, the providing unit 150 determines that the browsing of the content has ended (step S108; Yes). On the other hand, when the providing unit 150 does not detect that the page of the content has been closed, the providing unit 150 determines that the browsing of the content has not ended (step S108; No), and waits for an operation input to close the page of the content.

[0052] In step S109, the heading display unit 130 causes the heading list to be displayed again on the display screen 101 (step S109). Specifically, the heading display unit 130 reads out the display state stored in the storage unit 14 in step S106, and arranges the sections and heading icons 102 at the same positions as the heading list that was displayed on the display screen 101 immediately before the display of the content, and causes the heading list illustrated in FIG. 3(c) to be displayed on the display screen 101. In this heading list, for the heading icon 102 of the content that was viewed immediately before, for example, "[30th] Column XX", a viewed icon 103b is arranged instead of the unviewed icon 103a.

[0053] Next, the specifying unit 160 specifies other content corresponding to the heading icon 102 to be newly displayed within the display screen 101 (step S110). Specifically, the specifying unit 160 specifies other content based on rules such as presenting to the user the content that is in the same category as the content viewed immediately before and has a lower display order than the content viewed immediately before, and that has not been provided to the user and has the highest display order in the presentation list. For example, in step S106, when the content with the content ID "A030" in the presentation list illustrated in FIG. 5 is viewed, the specifying unit 160 refers to the browsing history database 120 illustrated in FIG. 7, and among the content with a display order set in the presentation list lower than the content ID "A030" and that has not been viewed, specifies the content ID "A027" of the content that is unviewed and has the highest rank. The specifying unit 160 notifies the heading display unit 130 of the heading icon ID "ZA027" corresponding to the specified content ID "A027".

[0054] Note that when there is no unviewed content in the presentation list, the specifying unit 160 may specify, as other content, the content with the next display order after the content that was displayed immediately before in the presentation list. Specifically, it specifies the content ID "A029", which is the next display order after the content ID "A030" of the content that was displayed immediately before, as other content, and notifies the heading display unit 130.

[0055] Next, the heading display unit 130 executes automatic scrolling until the heading icon 102 corresponding to the heading icon ID notified in step S110 is displayed within the display screen 101 (step S111). Specifically, when the content corresponding to the heading icon ID "ZA027" notified in step S110 is "[27th] Column YY", the heading display unit 130 executes automatic scrolling to the right as illustrated in FIG. 3(d) until the entire heading icon 102 of "[27th] Column YY" is arranged at a visible predetermined position within the display screen 101.

[0056] Next, returning to step S103, the input reception unit 140 waits for the selection of the heading icon 102 in the heading list displayed in step S111, and executes the processes after step S104 described above.

[0057] As described above, when the browsing of a certain content ends and the heading list is displayed again, the content providing apparatus 100 displays the heading icon 102 of another content within the display screen 101. Since the content corresponding to the displayed heading icon 102 is, for example, content that the user has not browsed yet, it is possible to save the trouble of the user performing a scroll operation or inputting a search keyword to search for another content by himself / herself. Therefore, the user can browse unviewed content one after another without trouble, so that it is possible to suppress the user from leaving the service.

[0058] In addition, after the heading list is displayed again, the content providing apparatus 100 displays the heading icon 102 of another content in a visible manner on the display screen 101 by automatic scrolling. Since the movement of scrolling the heading icon 102 can make the heading icon 102 conspicuous, the user can more easily recognize that the heading icon 102 of another content has been presented.

[0059] (Modification example) The server 200 may implement some of the functions provided in the content providing apparatus 100. For example, in the above embodiment, when the browsing of the content ends and the heading list is redisplayed, the content providing apparatus 100 identifies other unviewed content and causes the identified other content to be displayed on the display screen 101 by automatic scrolling. However, the server 200 may execute these processes.

[0060] In this case, the server 200 may include a user browsing history database that records the browsing history of the user, and may execute the function of the specifying unit 160. Here, an example of the user browsing history database is shown in FIG. 10. As shown in the figure, the user browsing history database includes information such as a "user ID" that uniquely identifies a user, a "content ID" that uniquely identifies content, and a "last provided date and time" that is the most recent date and time when the content was provided to the user. The "last provided date and time" records, for example, the date and time when the server 200 transmitted the URL of the content to the content providing apparatus 100.

[0061] Details of the process in this case will be described with reference to FIG. 11. Since it includes steps common to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 9, the description will focus on the differences.

[0062] When the same processes as steps S151 and S101 to S105 in FIG. 9 are executed and the URL of the content is transmitted in step S152, the server 200 stores in the user browsing history database that the content corresponding to the transmitted URL has been provided. Specifically, the user browsing history database is updated (step S251) by adding the user ID and the date and time when the URL was transmitted to the user browsing history database illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0063] Next, when the same processing as steps S106 to S108 in FIG. 9 is executed and it is determined that the viewing of the content has ended (step S108; Yes), the providing unit 150 of the content providing apparatus 100 transmits a notification indicating that the viewing of the content has ended to the server 200 (step S201).

[0064] Next, the server 200 identifies other content corresponding to the heading icon 102 newly displayed in the display screen 101 (step S252). Specifically, the server 200 identifies the content to be displayed in the display screen 101 by the same processing as step S110 in FIG. 9 based on the presentation list illustrated in FIG. 5 generated in step S151 and the user viewing history database illustrated in FIG. 10. For example, the server 200 identifies other content based on rules such as presenting to the user the content in the same category as the content viewed immediately before, among the content with a lower display order than the content viewed immediately before, that has not been provided to the user and has the highest display order in the presentation list.

[0065] Next, the server 200 transmits the heading icon ID of the content identified in step S252 to the content providing apparatus 100, and instructs to execute automatic scrolling until the heading icon corresponding to the transmitted heading icon ID is displayed in the display screen 101 (step S253).

[0066] Next, the content providing apparatus 100 executes automatic scrolling until the heading icon 102 corresponding to the heading icon ID transmitted in step S253 is displayed by the same processing as step S111 in FIG. 9 (step S202).

[0067] As described above, by the server 200 executing the function of the specifying unit 160, the processing load on the content providing apparatus 100 can be reduced.

[0068] In the above-described embodiment, the heading list illustrated in FIG. 2 shows that one heading icon 102 is visibly displayed within the display screen 101 for each category, but this is not limiting. The size of the heading icon 102 is arbitrary. For example, in each category, a plurality of heading icons 102 may be visibly displayed.

[0069] In the above-described embodiment, when there is no unviewed content in the presentation list, the specific part 160 has been described as specifying the content with the next display order after the content displayed immediately before as other content, but this is not limiting. For example, it may be possible to specify the content of another category having unviewed content as other content. For example, in the heading list illustrated in FIG. 3(c), when "[30th] Column XX" in the "Column" section is viewed and all other content in the "Column" section has been viewed, the content may be searched in the order of the "News" section, the "Video" section, ···, and the content of another category that has not been viewed may be specified as other content. Then, in the section of the specified other category, the specified content may be displayed within the display screen 101 by automatic scrolling. Also, when there is no unviewed content in any category, a message indicating that there is no unviewed content may be displayed on the display screen 101.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the case where, after the playback of the selected content is completed, automatic scrolling is performed to play other content has been described. Instead of this, the content providing apparatus 100 may display a message for confirming whether to perform automatic scrolling before performing automatic scrolling, and perform automatic scrolling when an instruction to permit automatic scrolling is given. Further, when there are a plurality of candidates for the automatic scroll destination, the content providing apparatus 100 may display a message prompting the selection of the candidate.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the case where the content of the automatic scroll destination is specified based on the registration date order has been described as an example. However, the content of the automatic scroll destination may be specified by other methods. As an example, information regarding the content of the content may be included in the presentation list, and the content providing apparatus 100 may specify the content corresponding to the content of the selected content as the content of the automatic scroll destination. Specifically, if the content is an article related to baseball, the server 200 includes the player names published in the article as information regarding the content of the content. The content providing apparatus 100 specifies the player names published in the selected content, and specifies the other content published about the player names as the content of the automatic scroll destination. Thereby, the content providing apparatus 100 can realize display control of more effective content for the user by controlling to preferentially display the content assumed to be the user's preference.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the case where the heading list is hidden, the content corresponding to the selected heading icon 102 is displayed, and the heading list is redisplayed after the viewing of the content is completed has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the content may be superimposed and displayed on the heading list, and the heading list may be made viewable when the content is closed.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the specifying unit 160 has been described as performing the process of step S110 of specifying the content of the automatic scroll destination after the heading list is redisplayed in step S109. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The specifying unit 160 may perform the process of step S110 after the selection of the heading icon 102 is detected in step S104 and before it is determined in step S108 that the viewing of the content has ended.

[0074] Note that the content providing apparatus 100 and the server 200 according to the above-described embodiment can be realized not by a dedicated apparatus but by using a normal computer. For example, by installing the program for executing any of the above from a recording medium storing the program into the computer, the content providing apparatus 100 or the server 200 that executes the above-described processing may be configured. Further, the content providing apparatus 100 or the server 200 may be configured by a plurality of computers operating in cooperation.

[0075] Also, when the above-described functions are realized by sharing between the OS (Operating System) and the application, or by cooperation between the OS and the application, etc., only the part other than the OS may be stored in the medium.

[0076] It is also possible to superimpose the program on a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the program may be distributed in an application store (App Store), or the program may be posted on a bulletin board (BBS, Bulletin Board System) on the communication network and the program may be distributed via the network. Then, these programs may be started and configured to execute the above-described processing by executing them in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the operating system.

[0077] Also, the information stored in the content providing apparatus 100 and the server 200 may be collectively managed by a cloud server existing on the network, and the content providing apparatus 100 may access the cloud server to read and write information as necessary. In this case, the content providing apparatus 100 may not include the browsing history database 120. Further, the content providing process by the content providing apparatus 100 and the server 200 may be executed on the cloud based on the information stored in the cloud server.

[0078] Hereinafter, various aspects of the present disclosure will be collectively described as appendices.

[0079] (Appendix 1) A heading display unit that displays a list of content headings on the screen, An acquisition unit that acquires an instruction to select any one of the headings displayed on the screen, A provision unit that provides the content related to the selected heading when the instruction is acquired, A specifying unit that specifies the headings of other content based on the heading of the content most recently selected in the list, and comprising, After the provision state of the provided content ends, the heading display unit displays, by automatic scrolling, the headings of the other content specified by the specifying unit within the screen, A content providing apparatus.

[0080] (Appendix 2) The specifying unit specifies, as the headings of the other content, the headings of content that is unprovided and has the closest display order to the content most recently selected in the list, The content providing apparatus according to Appendix 1.

[0081] (Appendix 3) The specifying unit specifies, as the headings of the other content, the headings of the content in the next display order after the content most recently selected in the list, The content providing apparatus according to Appendix 1.

[0082] (Appendix 4) The content is classified into any one of a plurality of categories, The heading display unit displays the list of content headings scrollably for each category, The content providing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3.

[0083] (Appendix 5) The heading display unit saves the display state of the list displayed on the screen, After the provision state of the content ends, restore the saved display state, redisplay the list on the screen, and execute the automatic scroll. The content providing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 4.

[0084] (Appendix 6) The heading displayed by the heading display unit includes an image or character information representing the content corresponding to the heading. The content providing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 5.

[0085] (Appendix 7) A computer displaying a list of content headings on a screen; acquiring an instruction to select any one from the headings displayed on the screen; providing the content related to the selected heading when the instruction is acquired; identifying headings of other content based on the heading of the content most recently selected in the list; executing The step of identifying the heading causes the identified heading of the other content to be displayed within the screen by automatic scrolling after the provision state of the provided content ends. Content providing method.

[0086] (Appendix 8) A computer performing a process of displaying a list of content headings on a screen; performing a process of acquiring an instruction to select any one from the headings displayed on the screen; performing a process of providing the content related to the selected heading when the instruction is acquired; performing a process of identifying headings of other content based on the heading of the content most recently selected in the list; causing the above to be executed The process of identifying the heading causes the heading of the identified other content to be displayed within the screen by automatic scrolling after the provision state of the provided content has ended. Program.

[0087] The present disclosure can be implemented in various embodiments and variations without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Also, the above-described embodiments are for explaining this disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than the embodiments. And various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the scope of the meaning equivalent to the disclosure are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure.

Industrial Applicability

[0088] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a content providing apparatus, a content providing method, and a program that can more effectively present content.

Explanation of Signs

[0089] 100 Content providing apparatus, 200 Server, 300 Communication network, 101 Display screen, 102 Heading icon, 103a, 103b Icons, 104 Close button, 110 Presentation list acquisition unit, 120 Browsing history database, 130 Heading display unit, 140 Input reception unit, 150 Provision unit, 160 Identification unit, 11 CPU, 12 RAM, 13 ROM, 14 Storage unit, 15 Input unit, 16 Display unit, 17 Communication unit, 99 Internal bus

Claims

1. A heading display unit that displays a list of content headings on a screen; An acquisition unit that acquires an instruction to select any one of the headings displayed on the screen; A provision unit that provides the content related to the selected heading when the instruction is acquired; A specifying unit that specifies headings of other content based on the heading of the content selected immediately before in the list; Comprising: After the provision state of the provided content ends, the heading display unit displays, by automatic scrolling, the headings of the other content specified by the specifying unit within the screen; A content providing device.

2. The specifying unit specifies, as the headings of the other content, headings of content that is unprovided and has the closest display order to the content selected immediately before in the list; The content providing device according to Claim 1.

3. The specifying unit specifies, as the headings of the other content, the headings of the content in the next display order of the content selected immediately before in the list; The content providing device according to Claim 1.

4. The content is classified into any one of a plurality of categories; The heading display unit displays the list of content headings scrollably for each category; The content providing device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

5. The heading display unit saves the display state of the list displayed on the screen; After the provision state of the content ends, the saved display state is restored and the list is redisplayed on the screen to execute the automatic scrolling; The content providing device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

6. The headings displayed by the heading display unit include image or character information representing the content corresponding to the headings; The content providing device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

7. A computer performs: A step of displaying a list of content headings on a screen; A step of acquiring an instruction to select any one of the headings displayed on the screen; A step of providing the content related to the selected heading when the instruction is acquired; A step of specifying headings of other content based on the heading of the content selected immediately before in the list; And executes. The step of identifying the heading causes, after the provision state of the provided content ends, the heading of the other identified content to be displayed within the screen by automatic scrolling. Content providing method.

8. A computer causes a process of displaying a list of headings of content on a screen, a process of obtaining an instruction to select any one from the headings displayed on the screen, a process of providing the content related to the selected heading when the instruction is obtained, a process of identifying headings of other content based on the heading of the content most recently selected in the list, to be executed, and the process of identifying the heading causes, after the provision state of the provided content ends, the heading of the other identified content to be displayed within the screen by automatic scrolling. Program.

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