Information providing device and information providing method

Abstract

To urge a user and a particular user having relation to the user to visit a visiting object together.SOLUTION: An information providing device is configured to: hold selection information indicating a visiting object selected by a first user and visit desire information indicating the visiting object which both the first user and a relation user having relation to the first user desire to visit; identify the relation user who desires to visit the selected visiting object from the visit desire information; generate disclosure information about the identified relation user to be disclosed to the first user with a disclosure level according to a registration state related to the selected visiting object of the first user in the visit desire information; and generate data for displaying the generated disclosure information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing apparatus and an information providing method.

Background Art

[0002] As background art in this technical field, there is Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-190588 (Patent Document 1). The information providing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 stores information regarding the evaluation of a spot in association with each spot that the user has registered and is interested in, in response to the operation of the user. When a request for updating the information regarding the evaluation of the spot is received, the information regarding the evaluation is updated, and the spot for which the information regarding the evaluation has been updated is transmitted to the user terminal of another user having attribute information identical or similar to the attribute information of the user who registered the spot.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although the information processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 executes a process of transmitting spot information whose evaluation has been updated by a user to other users having the same or similar attributes, it is difficult to obtain an effect of promoting the visit of a spot by the user and a specific user having a relationship with the user together.

[0005] Therefore, one aspect of the present invention promotes the visit of an object to be visited by a user and a specific user having a relationship with the user together.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention adopts the following configuration. An information providing apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory holds selection information indicating an access target selected by a first user, and access desire information indicating access targets that each of the first user and a related user having a relationship with the first user desires to access. The processor identifies, from the access desire information, a related user who desires to access the selected access target, and generates disclosure information regarding the identified related user, the disclosure information being disclosed to the first user to a degree of disclosure corresponding to a registration status of the selected access target of the first user in the access desire information, and generates data for displaying the generated disclosure information. An information providing apparatus.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to facilitate a user and a specific user having a relationship with the user to access an access target together.

[0008] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12A

Figure 12B

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

Figure 22

Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 25

Figure 26

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the same components are basically denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted. It should be noted that this embodiment is merely an example for realizing the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

Example

[0011] <Configuration Example of Information Providing System> FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of an information providing system. The information providing system 100 includes, for example, an information processing apparatus 101, a user terminal 103, a location information management server 105, and a contact information management server 106 that can communicate with each other via a wired or wireless network 102.

[0012] The user terminal 103 is, for example, a portable computer or a smartphone operated by a user. Hereinafter, the "user" refers to the user of the user terminal 103. The location information management server 105 is a computer that manages the history of the user's location information. The location information management server 105 receives location information described later from the user terminal 103.

[0013] The information processing apparatus 101 receives the position information of the user terminal 103 from the position information management server 105. The contact management server 106 is a computer that manages the contacts of users related to each user (for example, those with whom there is interaction) (hereinafter also simply referred to as related users). The contact management server 106 receives, from the user terminal 103, the contacts of the related users of the user of the user terminal 103. The information processing apparatus 101 receives contact information from the contact management server 106.

[0014] <Configuration example of information processing apparatus 101> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the information processing apparatus 101. The information processing apparatus 101 is constituted by a computer including, for example, a processor 201, a storage device 202, an input device 203, an output device 204, and a communication interface 205, which can communicate with each other via a bus 206. The number of these components is arbitrary. For example, the information processing apparatus 101 may include a plurality of processors 201 and a plurality of storage devices 202. The storage device 202 may have a configuration independent of the information processing apparatus 101.

[0015] The processor 201 controls the information processing apparatus 101. The processor 201 executes a program stored in the storage device 202. The storage device 202 includes, for example, memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a non-volatile memory element, and a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a volatile memory element. The ROM stores unchanging programs (for example, BIOS (Basic Input / Output System)), etc. The RAM is a high-speed and volatile memory element such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and temporarily stores the programs executed by the processor 201 and the data used during the execution of the programs.

[0016] The memory device 202 includes, for example, a large-capacity and non-volatile auxiliary storage device such as a magnetic storage device (HDD (Hard Disk Drive)) or a flash memory (SSD (Solid State Drive)). The auxiliary storage device stores programs executed by the processor 201 and data used during program execution. That is, the program is read from the auxiliary storage device, loaded into the memory, and executed by the processor 201.

[0017] The input device 203 receives input operations of the information processing device 101 from the user and input of data from the outside. The input device 203 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a numeric keypad, and a scanner. The output device 204 outputs the execution result of the program in a form visible to the user. The output device 204 includes, for example, a display and a printer. The communication interface 205 controls communication with other devices via the network 102 according to a predetermined protocol. Also, the communication interface 205 may include a serial interface such as USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0018] Part or all of the program executed by the processor 201 may be provided to the information processing device 101 via the network 102 from a removable medium (CD-ROM, flash memory, etc.) which is a non-transitory storage medium or an external computer having a non-transitory storage device, and stored in the non-volatile memory device 202 (auxiliary storage device) which is a non-transitory storage medium. Therefore, the information processing device 101 may preferably have an interface for reading data from the removable medium.

[0019] The information processing device 101 is a computer system configured physically on one computer or on a plurality of computers configured logically or physically, and may operate in separate threads on the same computer, or may operate on a virtual computer constructed on a plurality of physical computer resources.

[0020] Note that, for example, since the hardware configurations of the location information management server 105 and the contact information management server 106 are the same as that of the information processing apparatus 101, the description thereof is omitted.

[0021] <Logical Configuration Example of Information Processing Apparatus 101> FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a logical configuration example of the information processing apparatus 101. The information processing apparatus 101 includes, for example, a storage unit 300, a control unit 320, and a communication unit 330.

[0022] The storage unit 300 is realized by a storage area provided by the storage device 202 and stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 300 stores various types of information collected, processed, or analyzed by the information processing apparatus 101, and the location history information of the user provided by the location information management server 105. Further, the storage unit 300 stores programs and parameters used by the information processing apparatus 101.

[0023] Further, the storage unit 300 stores a spot information DB (DataBase) 301, an event information DB 302, a traffic information DB 303, an environmental information DB 304, a user characteristic DB 305, and a user information DB 306. The user information DB 306 includes a location information history DB 311, a spot visit history DB 312, a visit request information DB 313, and a related user information DB 314.

[0024] Note that the information stored in the storage unit 300 is not limited to the above-described information. Details of the information stored in the various DBs will be described later. Also, in the present embodiment, the information used by the information providing system 100 may be expressed in any data structure regardless of the data structure. For example, a data structure appropriately selected from a table, a list, a database, or a queue can store the information.

[0025] The control unit 320 executes control such as starting and stopping each functional unit, inputs data received by the communication unit 330 from the user terminal 103, the location information management server 105, the contact management server 106, etc. to the functional unit, and outputs data from the functional unit to the user terminal 103, the location information management server 105, and the contact management server 106 via the communication unit 330.

[0026] In addition, the control unit 320 includes, for example, a visit target list display unit 321, a related user information acquisition unit 322, a joint visit possibility calculation unit 323, an information collection unit 324, a ranking assignment unit 325, a spot visit time estimation unit 326, and a screen data generation unit 327, all of which are functional units. The processing executed by each functional unit will be described later.

[0027] Note that the processing by the control unit 320 and each functional unit included in the control unit 320 is realized by the processor 201 executing a program. For example, the processor 201 operates according to the visit target list display program loaded into the memory included in the storage device 202 to function as the visit target list display unit 321, and operates according to the related user information acquisition program loaded into the memory to function as the related user information acquisition unit 322. The relationship between the control unit 320 and other functional units is the same with respect to the program. Also, the relationship between the control unit 1101 of the user terminal 103 described later and the program is the same.

[0028] The communication unit 330 is realized by the communication interface 205 and transmits and receives data to and from the user terminal 103, the location information management server 105, and the contact management server 106 via the network 102.

[0029] <Spot Information DB 301> The spot information DB 301 stores spot information, which is information about spots. The spot information includes, for example, information collected by the information collection unit 324 from websites related to events on the Internet and information input from spot operators or the like. Websites related to spots include, for example, the official websites of spots, summary websites related to spots, or going-out information websites, etc.

[0030] Note that a spot is an example of an object that can be visited by a user and is an example of a first object to be visited. There is no defined holding period for a spot. That is, a spot is an object that can be visited by a user regardless of the period (however, there may be temporary suspension periods such as business hours and regular holidays).

[0031] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the spot information 3011 stored in the spot information DB 301. In the spot information DB 301, the spot information 3011 for each "spot ID" (Identifier), which is an identifier that uniquely identifies a spot, is stored.

[0032] The spot information 3011 includes a "spot ID", a "spot name", the "central position" of the spot, the "address" of the spot, the "industry type" of the spot, the "recommended viewpoints" of the spot, the "business hours" of the spot, the "regular holidays" of the spot, the "fee" related to the use of the spot, the "official URL (Uniform Resource Locator)" of the spot, the "SNS (Social Network Service) link destination" of the spot, the "campaign information" of the spot, and "media data" such as images, videos, and voices of the spot. Note that the information included in the spot information 3011 is not limited to these.

[0033] <Event Information DB> The event information DB 302 stores event information which is information regarding events. The event information includes, for example, information collected by the information collection unit 324 from websites regarding events on the Internet, and information input from the organizers of the events, etc. Websites regarding events include, for example, the official websites of the events, summary websites regarding various events, and going-out information websites, etc.

[0034] Note that an event is an example of a visit target and an example of a second visit target. For each event, an area where the event is held is determined, and the event's holding area may include one or more spots (hereinafter also referred to as related spots). Also, a specific holding period is determined for the event. That is, an event is an object that can be visited by a user only during the specific period.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the event information 3021 stored in the event information DB 302. In the event information DB 302, event information 3021 is stored for each "event ID" which is an identifier that uniquely identifies an event.

[0036] The event information 3021 includes, for example, an "event ID", an "event name", a "central position" representing the representative position of the spot or area where the event is held, a "related spot ID" which is an identifier that uniquely identifies the related spots of the event, the "address" of the spot or area where the event is held, the "genre" of the event, the "recommended viewpoints" of the event, the "holding period" of the event, the "fee" regarding participation in the event, the "official URL" of the event, the "SNS link destination" of the event, and "media data" such as images, videos, and sounds of the event. The "spot ID" in the spot information 3011 of the related spot is set in the "related spot ID". Note that the information included in the event information 3021 is not limited to these.

[0037] <Transportation information DB 303> The traffic information DB 303 stores traffic information which is information related to traffic. The traffic information includes, for example, information collected by the information collection unit 324 from traffic-related websites on the Internet and information input from operators of transportation agencies, etc. The information collected from traffic-related websites on the Internet includes, for example, information related to transportation agencies posted on official websites of transportation agencies, etc., and information related to roads posted on official websites of agencies that manage roads, etc.

[0038] Illustration of an example of the data configuration of traffic information is omitted. The traffic information includes, for example, a traffic ID which is an identifier that uniquely identifies a transportation agency, and information related to the operation status, schedule, and congestion of transportation agencies such as trains, buses, airplanes, taxis, or ferries. Also, the traffic information may include road information such as traffic jam information, construction, and accident-related information. Note that the information included in the traffic information is not limited to these.

[0039] <Environmental information DB 304> The environmental information DB 304 stores environmental information which is information related to the environment. The environmental information includes, for example, information collected by the information collection unit 324 from websites related to weather and disasters on the Internet and information input from employees of weather companies, etc.

[0040] Illustration of an example of the data configuration of environmental information is omitted. The environmental information includes, for example, weather information such as weather, temperature, wind speed, sunshine duration, and pollen dispersion amount associated with location information, and disaster information such as earthquakes, tsunamis, heavy rain, floods, and fires associated with location information. Note that the information included in the environmental information is not limited to these.

[0041] <User characteristic DB 305> The user characteristic DB 305 stores user characteristic information, which is information regarding user characteristics. User characteristics indicate the characteristics of clusters of users with similar activity histories. For example, among the user information stored in the user information DB 306, by using the user's attribute information, the spot visit history DB 312, the location information history DB 311, etc., clusters of users with similar activity histories are generated, and the characteristics of each generated cluster are extracted, thereby generating user characteristic information.

[0042] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the user characteristic information 3051 stored in the user characteristic DB 305. In the user characteristic DB 305, user characteristic information 3051 is stored for each "user characteristic ID", which is an identifier that uniquely identifies a user characteristic (the corresponding cluster).

[0043] The user characteristic information 3051 includes, for example, a "user characteristic ID", the "main age group" of the cluster corresponding to the user characteristic ID, the "main residential area" of the cluster, the "main occupation" of the cluster, the "main hobby" of the cluster, the "main activity history" of the cluster, and the "coordinates" (for example, the coordinates of the center of gravity) of the cluster in the space where clustering is performed.

[0044] The "main activity history" includes, as sub-items, for example, a "visit history ID", a "spot ID or event ID", a "spot arrival time zone", a "spot departure time zone", a "transportation ID", a "boarding time zone", a "getting off time zone", and "weather". The visit history ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies a visit history. The spot ID in the "spot ID or event ID" is an identifier that uniquely identifies a spot, and the spot ID included in the spot information 3011 is used. The event ID in the "spot ID or event ID" is an identifier that uniquely identifies an event, and the event ID included in the event information 3021 is used. The transportation ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies transportation, and the transportation ID included in the transportation information is used.

[0045] In the information other than the user characteristic ID included in the user characteristic information 3051, values of users representing the cluster may be stored, or predetermined statistical values (for example, the most frequent value, average value, etc.) of all users in the cluster may be stored. Note that the information included in the user characteristic information 3051 is not limited to these.

[0046] <User information DB 306> The user information DB 306 stores various types of information related to users, including user information. The user information includes, for example, a "user ID" that uniquely identifies the user, the physical characteristics of the user (for example, height, weight, body fat, blood pressure, face image, and voice characteristics, etc.), the attributes of the user (for example, name, relationship, gender, age, date of birth, education background, work history, and address, etc.), and a "user characteristic ID" of the user characteristic to which the user belongs (that is, the cluster in which the user is included). The illustration of the user information is omitted.

[0047] In addition, the user information DB 306 includes a location information history DB 311 that stores location information related to the user's location history, a spot visit history DB 312 that stores the user's visit history to spots, a visit wish information DB 313 that stores information on spots and events that the user wants to visit in the future, and a related user information DB 314 that stores information on related users.

[0048] <Location information history DB 311> FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the location information history DB 311. In the location information history DB 311, a "terminal ID" which is an identifier uniquely identifying the user terminal 103, a "date and time" (hereinafter, the date and time is assumed to be a value expressed in year, month, day, hour, minute, and second) when the location of the user terminal 103 was measured, and a "location" indicating the latitude and longitude measured by the user terminal 103 are stored in association with each other as location information. When one user is operating one user terminal 103, the "terminal ID" is synonymous with the user ID that uniquely identifies the user. When the user and the user terminal 103 do not correspond one-to-one, the storage unit 300 only needs to hold the correspondence information between the user ID and the terminal ID. Note that "#" in the figure schematically indicates different numerical values.

[0049] <Spot visit history DB 312> FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the spot visit history DB 312. In the spot visit history DB 312, a "user ID" of the user, a "spot ID" of the spot visited by the user, an "arrival date and time" when the user arrived at the spot, a "departure date and time" when the user departed from the spot after arriving at the spot, and the "weather" of the spot between the arrival date and time and the departure date and time extracted from the environmental information DB 304 are stored in association with each other as spot visit information.

[0050] The "user ID" of the spot visit information uses the user ID associated with the terminal ID included in the location information. The "spot ID" of the spot visit information uses the "spot ID" included in the spot information 3011.

[0051] The spot visit information is generated, for example, using the location information stored in the location information history DB 311, the spot information 3011 stored in the spot information DB 301, and the environmental information stored in the environmental information DB 304.

[0052] A specific example of a method for generating spot visit information will be described. First, the information collection unit 324 determines whether each position indicated by the position information stored in the position information history DB 311 is within a predetermined range from the center position of each spot indicated by the spot information 3011.

[0053] When the information collection unit 324 determines that any one of the positions indicated by the position information is within the predetermined range from the center position of any one of the spots, it acquires the "terminal ID" and "date and time" corresponding to the position from the position information, sets the user ID corresponding to the acquired "terminal ID" as the "user ID" of the spot visit information, sets the acquired "date and time" as the "arrival date and time" of the spot visit information, and sets the "spot ID" of the spot indicated by the spot information 3011 as the "spot ID" of the spot visit information.

[0054] Furthermore, the information collection unit 324 refers to the position information to specify the "date and time" when the position of the terminal ID first goes outside the predetermined range from the center position of the spot after the date and time, and sets the specified "date and time" as the "departure date and time" of the spot visit information. Thereby, the information collection unit 324 can generate a record in the spot visit history DB 312.

[0055] <Visit Wish Information DB> FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the visit wish information DB 313. The visit wish information DB 313 stores visit wish information in which a "user ID" of a user, a "spot ID or event ID" which is either the ID of a spot or an event that the user wants to visit, and a "desired visit time" which is the date and time when the user wants to visit the spot or event or the date and time estimated to be desired to visit are associated with each other. The visit wish information is preset, for example, when the information processing device 101 receives an input to the user terminal 103 by each user.

[0056] For the "User ID" of the visit request information, the user ID associated with the terminal ID included in the location information is used. For the "Spot ID or Event ID" of the visit request information, the "Spot ID" included in the spot information 3011 or the "Event ID" included in the event information 3021 is used. For the "Desired Visit Time" of the visit request information, the date and time itself, or a period (for example, a period is defined in units of date, month, year, etc.), or "No Specified" indicating that the user has no specific time and date when they want to visit a spot or an event (it can be any time to visit the spot or event) is set.

[0057] Note that since the event has a limited holding period and can only be visited during that holding period, in the visit request information DB 313, only "No Specified" may be set as the desired visit time for the event ID, or the holding period of the event indicated by the event information 3021 may be automatically set.

[0058] Also, for visit request information whose desired visit time has passed, the desired visit time may be automatically replaced with "No Specified", or the visit request information may be automatically deleted. Also, the visit request information for an event whose holding period has passed may be automatically deleted.

[0059] <Related User Information DB 314> The related user information DB 314 stores related user information which is information about related users.

[0060] Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the related user information 3141 stored in the related user information DB 314. In the related user information DB 314, related user information 3141 for each "User ID" (that is, for each user) is stored.

[0061] The relationship user information 3141 of each user includes the "user ID" of the user, the "relationship user ID" which is the user ID of the relationship user of the user, the "relationship user name" which is the name of the relationship user, the "contact information" which is the contact information of the relationship user, the "group" which is the name of the group to which the relationship user belongs, the "intimacy" which is a numerical value or level (index) representing the intimacy between the user and the relationship user, the "latest contact date and time" which is the latest date and time when the user and the relationship user had contact, the "latest meeting date and time" which is the latest date and time when the user and the relationship user met, the "distance between residences" which is the distance between the residences of the user and the relationship user, and the "icon" of the relationship user.

[0062] As the "user ID" and "relationship user ID" in the relationship user information 3141, the user ID associated with the terminal ID included in the location information is used. As the "relationship user name", for example, the name of the relationship user included in the contact information of the relationship user transmitted from the contact management server 106 is used.

[0063] As the "contact information", for example, the contact information of the relationship user transmitted from the contact management server 106 is used. As the "group column", for example, the name set by the relationship user himself / herself on the user terminal 103, the name of the group to which the user and the relationship user belong held by the message transmission means in the user terminal 103, etc. are used.

[0064] As the "intimacy", for example, a value calculated from the contact frequency (in a predetermined period traced back from the current time), the latest contact date and time, and / or the latest meeting date and time between the user and the relationship user (for example, a value obtained by substituting the contact frequency, the latest contact date and time, and / or the latest meeting date and time into a predetermined function, and the higher the contact frequency, the closer the latest contact date and time is to the current time, and the closer the latest meeting date and time is to the current time, the higher (indicating a more intimate) value), or a value set by the user for each "group" of the relationship user is used. Also, the "intimacy" may be set by the user himself / herself.

[0065] As the "most recent contact date and time", for example, in the communication history between the user and the relevant user transmitted from the user terminal 103 of the user, the communication date and time closest to the current time is used. The above-mentioned contact frequency can also be calculated from the communication history. As the "most recent meeting date and time", for example, the latest time when the distance between the position corresponding to the terminal ID of the user indicated by the position information and the position corresponding to the terminal ID of the relevant user is within a predetermined value is used. As the "distance between places of residence", for example, the distance between the place of residence of the user and the place of residence of the relevant user is used. Note that these places of residence may be set by the user, or may be calculated by applying the position history corresponding to the terminal ID of the user and the position history corresponding to the terminal ID of the relevant user indicated by the position information to a predetermined algorithm. As the "icon", an image set by the relevant user is used. However, an image set by the user himself / herself may be used to identify the relevant user.

[0066] <Example of the logical configuration of user terminal 103> FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the logical configuration of user terminal 103. User terminal 103 includes, for example, a control unit 1101, a storage unit 1102, an input unit 1103, an output unit 1104, a display unit 1105, a communication unit 1106, and a positioning unit 1107.

[0067] The control unit 1101 controls each component included in the user terminal 103. The control unit 1101 is realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 1101 controls the startup and stop of each component by executing the program stored in the storage unit 1102. The control unit 1101 controls the output of the output unit 1104 and the display unit 1105 using the control signal generated by itself.

[0068] Also, the control unit 1101 generates visual information output to the display unit 1105, as well as audio information and vibration information output to the output unit 1104, using the information received from the information processing device 101 via the communication unit 1106, the analysis results of messages, the information stored in the storage unit 1102, and / or the analysis results of the input operations received from the user by the input unit 1103.

[0069] Also, the control unit 1101 analyzes the input operations received from the user by the input unit 1103, and transmits the information obtained by the analysis to the information processing device 101 via the communication unit 1106. The information transmitted to the information processing device 101 by the control unit 1101 includes, for example, information indicating a desire to access.

[0070] Also, the control unit 1101 transmits, with the user's consent, the position information history 1111 measured by the positioning unit 1107 and stored in the storage unit 1102 to the position information management server 105 via the communication unit 1106.

[0071] Also, the control unit 1101 analyzes the input operations received from the user by the input unit 1103, and stores the obtained contact information of the related user in the contact DB 1110 of the storage unit 1102. Further, the control unit 1101 transmits, with the user's consent, the contact DB 1110 stored in the storage unit 1102 to the contact management server 106 via the communication unit 1106.

[0072] The storage unit 300 is realized by the storage area provided by the storage device 202 and stores various information. For example, the storage unit 300 stores various information collected, processed, or analyzed by the information processing device 101, and the position history information of the user provided by the position information management server 105. Also, the storage unit 300 stores programs, parameters, etc. used by the information processing device 101.

[0073] The storage unit 1102 is realized by a storage area provided by hardware such as a memory and an auxiliary storage device, and stores various types of information. The storage unit 1102 includes a work area by the control unit 1101. The storage unit 1102 stores various programs, parameters, and data executed by the control unit 1101. Further, the storage unit 1102 stores a contact destination DB 1110 including contact destinations of the user's acquaintances and a location information history 1111 of a series of location information of the user terminal 103. The hardware that realizes the storage unit 1102 includes, for example, memories such as ROM and RAM, and auxiliary storage devices such as HDD and flash memory.

[0074] The input unit 1103 receives an input operation from the user. For example, when detailed information of a spot or an event is displayed on the display unit 1105, the input unit 1103 receives a selection operation on a button displayed on the screen, and information indicating that the user wants to go to the spot or the event is registered. The hardware that realizes the input unit 1103 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a numeric keypad, a scanner, and a microphone.

[0075] The output unit 1104 outputs sound, vibration, etc. The output unit 1104 outputs, for example, information about a spot or an event by voice speech, or outputs an effect sound or vibration for the information processing apparatus 101 to notify the user. The hardware that realizes the output unit 1104 includes, for example, a speaker and a vibrator.

[0076] The display unit 1105 outputs visual information such as images and text. The display unit 1105 outputs, for example, a list screen of spots or events that match the user's intention, or detailed information of spots or events. The hardware that realizes the display unit 1105 includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) device, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) device, and a touch panel. Further, the display unit 1105 may output visual information by a projection function.

[0077] The communication unit 1106 transmits and receives data to and from the information processing device 101, the location information management server 105, and the contact management server 106 via the network 102. The communication unit 1106 is realized by, for example, a communication interface device.

[0078] The positioning unit 1107 measures the position of the user terminal 103. The positioning unit 1107 is realized by, for example, an antenna that receives signals from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and a processing circuit that processes the received signals. Positioning by GNSS is generally used as GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning. In addition, the positioning unit 1107 may perform positioning processing by other positioning methods such as base station positioning.

[0079] <Information providing process> FIGS. 12A and 12B are flowcharts showing an example of the information providing process by the information processing device 101. The access target list display unit 321 receives a request transmitted from the user terminal 103 (S1201). The request includes search conditions and the like for searching for access targets that the user wishes to display in a list. As the search conditions, for example, the name or ID (spot ID or event ID) of the access target, the area to which the access target belongs, the industry type or genre of the access target, the type of the access target (e.g., spot and event, etc.), and the method of utilizing user characteristics (e.g., conforming to the user characteristics (of the user) and not conforming to the user characteristics (of the user), etc.) can be specified.

[0080] The access target list display unit 321 extracts access targets that match the search conditions included in the received request (S1202). When the search conditions include a specified area, the access target list display unit 321 extracts access targets whose central positions are located within the specified area from the spot information 3011 and the event information 3021. When the search conditions include a specified industry type or genre, the access target list display unit 321 extracts access targets that include the specified industry type or genre from the spot information 3011 and the event information 3021.

[0081] If the search conditions include the specification of the type of the target of visit and the specified type is a spot, the visit target list display unit 321 sets only the spot information 3011 as the search range, that is, extracts only spots. Also, if the search conditions include the specification of the type of the target of visit and the specified type is an event, the visit target list display unit 321 sets only the event information 3021 as the search range, that is, extracts only events.

[0082] Also, if the search conditions include the specification of the method of utilizing user characteristics and the specified method of utilizing user characteristics is "adapt to user characteristics", the visit target list display unit 321 identifies the spot IDs and event IDs included in the main action history of the user characteristic information 3051 of the user characteristic ID corresponding to the user, identifies the industry type corresponding to the spot ID from the spot information 3011, and identifies the genre corresponding to the event ID from the event information 3021. Further, the visit target list display unit 321 narrows down the spots extracted according to other search conditions to those whose industry type matches the identified industry type, and narrows down the events extracted according to other search conditions to those whose genre matches the identified genre.

[0083] Also, if the search conditions include the specification of the method of utilizing user characteristics and the specified method of utilizing user characteristics is "do not adapt to user characteristics", the visit target list display unit 321 identifies the spot IDs and event IDs included in the main action history of the user characteristic information 3051 of the user characteristic ID different from the user characteristic ID corresponding to the user, identifies the industry type corresponding to the spot ID from the spot information 3011, and identifies the genre corresponding to the event ID from the event information 3021. Further, the visit target list display unit 321 narrows down the spots extracted according to other search conditions to those whose industry type matches the identified industry type, and narrows down the events extracted according to other search conditions to those whose genre matches the identified genre.

[0084] Note that the access target list display unit 321 may select, as the different user characteristic IDs, for example, the user characteristic IDs of other clusters with the smallest distance between coordinates in the clustering with the cluster corresponding to the user characteristic ID corresponding to the user, or may select the user characteristic IDs of other clusters with the farthest distance, or may select the user characteristic IDs of all other clusters where the distance is less than or equal to a predetermined value, or may select the user characteristic IDs of all other clusters where the distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, or may select the user characteristic IDs of the cluster closest to the predetermined value.

[0085] The screen data generation unit 327 generates data for the list screen of the access targets (search results) extracted in step S1202, and the control unit 320 transmits the data of the list screen to the user terminal 103 (S1203). The control unit 1101 of the user terminal 103 receives the data of the list screen via the communication unit 1106, stores the data of the list screen in the storage unit 1102, analyzes the data of the list screen to generate visual information, and displays the generated visual information on the display unit 1105 as the list screen.

[0086] Note that the access target list display unit 321 may display the access targets extracted in step S1202 based on the action history of the related users of the user. Specifically, for example, the access target list display unit 321 may obtain the access history of the related users of the user from the spot visit history DB 312, and may increase the display priority of those with a high frequency of visit times. At this time, the access target list display unit 321 may increase the weight of the related users as the intimacy with the user increases, count the visit frequency according to the weight, or may obtain only the access history of users whose intimacy with the user is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0087] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the list screen displayed on the display unit 1105. The list screen 1300 includes, for example, a display area 1301 indicating the position of the access target (spot or event), and a display area 1302 indicating a list of outlines of the access targets.

[0088] In the display area 1301, for example, a map is displayed, and in the map, a point indicating the current location and icons indicating the center positions of each visit target included in the search results are displayed. When an event is included in the visit target of the search results, an icon indicating the center position of the related spot of the event (in the example of FIG. 13, spots G3 and G5 are the related spots of event E1) is displayed in the display area 1301 as shown in FIG. 13. When an event is included in the visit target of the search results, an icon indicating the center position of the event may be displayed instead of or in addition to the icon indicating the center position of the related spot of the event.

[0089] The display area 1302 is, for example, divided into areas for each visit target, and in each area, an icon of the visit target (in the case of an event, a related spot), an image diagram of the visit target (a photo or animation that can image the spot or event), and the name of the visit target are displayed. Also, in each area, the address of the detailed information screen of the visit target (spot, event, or related spot) is embedded. The connection destination of this address is set in, for example, the visit target list display unit 321, and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is used as its format.

[0090] Returning to the description of FIGS. 12A and 12B, the visit target list display unit 321 determines whether the control unit 320 has received an access request for the detailed information of the spot from the user terminal 103 via the communication unit 330 (an example of selection information indicating the spot selected by the user) (S1204). When the control unit 1101 of the user terminal 103 analyzes the input operation from the user received by the input unit 1103 and, as a result of the analysis, the input operation is a selection operation for the area corresponding to any spot on the display area 1302, a request for access to the address embedded in the area corresponding to the selected spot is transmitted. The request to be transmitted is the access request received by the visit target list display unit 321.

[0091] When the access target list display unit 321 determines that it has received an access request for the detailed information of a spot (S1204: YES), the screen data generation unit 327 generates data for a spot detailed information screen for providing the detailed information of the spot indicated by the access request (S1205).

[0092] The related user information acquisition unit 322 registers the related user information received by the communication unit 330 from the contact management server 106 via the network 102 in the related user information DB 314 (S1206). Note that the related user information in step S1206 is information regarding the related users of the user of the user terminal 103 that sent the access request in step S1204.

[0093] The related user information acquisition unit 322 specifies, from the access wish information DB 313, the access wish information including the spot ID of the spot indicated by the access request (S1207). The related user information acquisition unit 322 determines whether the access wish information of the related users of the user of the user terminal 103 that sent the access request is included in the specified access wish information of the spot ID (S1208).

[0094] When the related user information acquisition unit 322 determines that there is access wish information of the related user for the spot ID (S1208: YES), the control unit 320 determines whether, in accordance with a registration request for registering the intention of the user to go to the spot, the intention has already been registered in the access wish information DB 313 (that is, whether the correspondence between the user ID of the user and the spot ID of the spot is registered), or whether the registration request has been received from the user terminal 103 of the user who sent the access request via the communication unit 330 before the elapse of a waiting time of a predetermined length although the intention has not been registered (S1209).

[0095] When the control unit 320 determines that the intention has been registered or that the registration request has been received before the waiting time has elapsed (S1209: YES), it determines whether the time when the user wishes to go to the spot has already been registered in the visit wish information DB 313 according to the registration request for registering the time (that is, whether the correspondence between the user ID of the user, the spot ID of the spot, and the visit wish time other than "unspecified" is registered), or whether the registration request has been received from the user terminal 103 of the user who sent the access request via the communication unit 330 before the waiting time of a predetermined length has elapsed although the time has not been registered (S1210).

[0096] When the control unit 320 determines that the time has been registered or that the registration request has been received before the waiting time has elapsed (S1210: YES), it registers in the visit wish information DB 313 the visit wish information in which the user ID of the user, the spot ID of the spot, and the time when the user wishes to go to the spot (visit wish time) are associated, and the co-visitation possibility calculation unit 323 calculates the co-visitation possibility for each related user of the user (S1211). Note that when at least one of the intention and the time is already registered in the visit wish information DB 313, in step S1211, the registration of the at least one is omitted.

[0097] The co-visitation possibility indicates the probability that the user and the related user can go to the spot together. The co-visitation possibility calculation unit 323 calculates, for example, by substituting at least one of the visit wish times of the spot for the user and the related user, the most recent meeting date and time of the user and the related user, the intimacy between the user and the related user, the distance between the residences of the user and the related user, the most recent contact date and time of the user and the related user, and the distance between the coordinates in the clustering of the user characteristics of the user and the related user into a predetermined function. The most recent meeting date and time, intimacy, distance between residences, most recent contact date and time, and distance between coordinates in the clustering are examples of index values indicating the strength of the relationship between users.

[0098] For example, it is desirable that the closer the desired visit times of the user and the related user to the spot are, the farther the most recent meeting time between the user and the related user is from the current time, the higher the intimacy between the user and the related user is, the shorter the distance between the places of residence of the user and the related user is, the closer the most recent contact time between the user and the related user is to the current time, the closer the coordinates in the clustering of the user characteristics of the user and the related user are, the higher the likelihood of coming together calculated by the predetermined function is.

[0099] The ranking unit 325 assigns rankings (priority order in display) to the related users of the user in descending order of the likelihood of coming together (S1212). The screen data generation unit 327 adds information (an example of disclosure information regarding the related user) indicating the icon of the related user, the desired time to go of the related user, and the ranking given in step S1212 to the data of the spot detailed information screen generated in step S1205 (S1213).

[0100] Note that the ranking unit 325 may filter the related users in step S1212. Specifically, for example, the ranking unit 325 may exclude information regarding related users whose likelihood of coming together is less than a predetermined value, related users whose desired visit time to the spot is not close to that of the user (the difference in desired visit times is greater than or equal to a predetermined value), related users whose period from the current time to the most recent meeting time with the user is less than a predetermined value, related users whose intimacy with the user is less than a predetermined value, related users whose distance between the places of residence with the user is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, related users whose period from the current time to the most recent contact time with the user is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and / or related users whose coordinates in the clustering of user characteristics are not close to those of the user (the distance between clusters is greater than or equal to a predetermined value) from the information to be added in step S1213.

[0101] The control unit 320 transmits the data of the spot detailed information screen with added information or the event detailed information screen (to be described later) with added information to the user terminal 103 (S1214). The control unit 1101 of the user terminal 103 receives the data of the spot detailed information screen or the event detailed information screen, generates visual information based on the data as the spot detailed information screen or the event detailed information screen, and displays it on the display unit 1105.

[0102] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the spot detailed information screen displayed on the display unit 1105. The spot detailed information screen 1400 in FIG. 14 is generated based on the screen data in step S1213. With the spot detailed information screen 1400 in FIG. 14, the user can confirm the detailed information of spot G01, the existence of related users who are likely to go to spot G01 together, and the time when the related users are likely to go to spot G01.

[0103] The spot detailed information screen 1400 includes, for example, display areas 1401 to 1405, a pull-down 1406, a button 1407, and a display area 1408. In the display area 1401, the name of spot G01 (the spot indicated by the access request) is displayed. In the display area 1402, an image (video or still image) of spot G01 is displayed. In the display area 1403, the business hours of spot G01 are displayed.

[0104] In the display area 1404, the recommended viewpoints of spot G01 are displayed. In the display area 1405, the age group and other attributes of the users who visit spot G01 are set. Also, the pull-down 1406 is a pull-down for displaying a list of other information of spot G01. The information displayed in the display areas 1401 to 1404 and the pull-down 1406 are all generated from the spot information 3011 of the corresponding spot ID. The information displayed in the display area 1405 is generated, for example, from the user characteristic information 3051 that includes the spot G01 in the main action history.

[0105] Button 1407 is a button that combines the function of registering the user's intention to go to spot G01 of the user terminal 103 on which the spot details screen 1400 is displayed and the time when the user wants to go, and the function of displaying the registration status. In the example of button 1407 in FIG. 14, the user's intention to go and the time when the user wants to go are in a registered state.

[0106] An icon 1409 and a button 1410 are displayed in the display area 1408. The icon 1409 is an icon included in the user information of a related user who seems likely to go to spot G01 together (the ranking given in step S1212 is high (for example, within a predetermined rank), or the likelihood of coming together is high (for example, equal to or higher than a predetermined value)). The button 1410 indicates the name of a related user who seems likely to go to spot G01 together and has a function of contacting the related user. Also, in the display area 1408, information indicating the time when the related user indicated by each icon 1409 wants to go to spot G01 is displayed. Note that a related user for whom the time is not displayed along with the icon 1409 is a user who wants to go to spot G01 but has not specified the desired visit time.

[0107] Returning to the description of FIG. 12B, when the control unit 320 determines that the time when the user wants to go to the spot has not been registered and the waiting time has elapsed without receiving a registration request for the time when the user wants to go to the spot (S1210: NO), visit wish information (the desired visit time may be a null value or "unspecified") in which the user ID of the user and the spot ID of the spot are associated is registered in the visit wish information DB 313, and the spot visit time estimation unit 326 determines whether it is possible to estimate the time when the user wants to go to the spot (S1215).

[0108] When the spot visit time estimation unit 326 determines, for example, that a campaign is being carried out at the spot based on the campaign information included in the spot information 3011 of the spot, it determines that it is possible to estimate the time when the user wants to visit the spot. In this case, the spot visit time estimation unit 326 regards that the user is interested in the campaign, and estimates the period during which the campaign indicated by the campaign information is carried out as the time when the user wants to visit the spot.

[0109] Also, for example, when the spot visit time estimation unit 326 refers to the spot visit history DB 312 and determines that the user has visited the spot a predetermined number of times or more, it determines that it is possible to estimate the time when the user wants to visit the spot, and acquires the visit history of the spot of the user from the spot visit history DB 312. In this case, the spot visit time estimation unit 326 analyzes the past visit tendency (for example, periodicity and seasonality of visits, etc.) of the spot of the user based on the visit history, predicts the timing when the user will visit the spot next time based on the analysis result, and estimates the predicted timing as the time when the user wants to visit the spot.

[0110] Also, for example, when the spot visit time estimation unit 326 determines, with reference to the spot visit history DB 312, that the user has not visited the spot a predetermined number of times or more, but determines that another user with similar characteristics to the user (for example, it may be another user having the same characteristic ID as the user, or another user having a characteristic ID within a predetermined distance from the coordinate in clustering of the user's characteristic ID) has visited the spot a predetermined number of times or more, it determines that it is possible to estimate the time when the user wants to go to the spot, and acquires the visit history of the spot of the other user from the spot visit history DB 312. In this case, the spot visit time estimation unit 326 analyzes the past visit tendency (for example, periodicity and seasonality of visits, etc.) of the spot of the other user based on the visit history, predicts the timing when the other user will visit the spot next based on the analysis result, and estimates the predicted timing as the time when the user wants to go to the spot.

[0111] Note that when the spot visit time estimation unit 326 determines that none of the conditions for estimating the time when the user wants to go to the spot as described above are satisfied, it determines that it is not possible to estimate the time when the user wants to go to the spot.

[0112] When the spot visit time estimation unit 326 determines that it is possible to estimate the time when the user wants to go to the spot (S1215: YES), it proceeds to step S1211 considering the time estimated by the method as described above as the desired visit time of the spot of the user. However, since the estimated time is only an estimated value, the estimated time may not be registered in the desired visit time of the visit desired information.

[0113] In addition, when the Spot Visit Time Estimation Unit 326 determines that it is possible to estimate the time when the user wants to visit the spot (S1215: YES), it notifies the user terminal 103 of the user of an inquiry indicating whether the time estimated by the method described above may be regarded as the desired visit time of the user for the spot. When a response indicating acceptance of the inquiry is obtained from the user terminal 103, it may be regarded as the desired visit time of the user for the spot and proceed to step S1211 (in this case, the estimated time may be registered as the desired visit time in the visit desired information). Thereby, the registration of the desired visit time by the user is promoted, and a more accurate desired visit time can be obtained. Also, when the Spot Visit Time Estimation Unit 326 obtains a response indicating rejection of the inquiry from the user terminal 103, or when no response is obtained even after a predetermined time has elapsed, it may proceed to the process of step S1216 described later.

[0114] When the Spot Visit Time Estimation Unit 326 determines that it is not possible to estimate the time when the user wants to visit the spot (S1215: NO), the Ranking Assignment Unit 325 assigns a ranking to the related users of the user based on the items included in the related user information 3141 corresponding to the user ID of the user (S1216).

[0115] The items of the related user information 3141 used to determine the ranking in step S1216 include, for example, "group", "intimacy", "latest contact date and time", "latest meeting date and time", and / or "distance between places of residence". The Ranking Assignment Unit 325 may determine the ranking using only one of these items, or may determine the ranking using a plurality of items.

[0116] When the ranking assignment unit 325 determines a ranking using a plurality of items, it may determine the ranking by sorting the values of the plurality of items according to the priority order among the plurality of items, or may determine the ranking according to the value obtained by substituting the plurality of items into a predetermined function. Note that the items used for ranking assignment and the priority order among the plurality of items may be settable by the user or may be predetermined.

[0117] Note that, for example, when the "group" is the same, the ranking is more likely to be affected for an increase compared to when it is different. Also, for example, the higher the "intimacy", the closer the "latest contact date and time" is to the current time, the farther the "latest meeting date and time" is from the current time, and the smaller the "distance between residence places", the more the ranking is likely to be affected for an increase. Note that filtering may be performed in combination with ranking assignment in the same manner as in step S1212.

[0118] The screen data generation unit 327 adds information indicating the icon of the relevant user and the ranking given in step S1216 (an example of the disclosure information regarding the relevant user) to the data of the spot detailed information screen generated in step S1205 (S1217), and proceeds to step S1214.

[0119] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the spot detailed information screen displayed on the display unit 1105. The spot detailed information screen 1500 in FIG. 15 is generated based on the screen data of step S1217. With the spot detailed information screen 1500 in FIG. 15, the user can confirm the detailed information of the spot G01 and the existence of relevant users who are likely to go to the spot G01 together.

[0120] Among the configurations of the spot detailed information screen 1500 in FIG. 15, the parts similar to the spot detailed information screen 1400 in FIG. 14 will not be described, and the different parts will be described. The button 1407 in FIG. 15 indicates that the intention to go has been registered (and the time to go has not been registered). When the time to go is registered using the button 1407 in FIG. 15, the processing after step S1211 is executed, and the spot detailed information screen 1400 in FIG. 14 is displayed.

[0121] An icon 1509 is displayed in the display area 1408. The icon 1509 is an icon included in the user information of the related user who wants to go to the spot G01 (with a high ranking given in step S1216 (for example, within a predetermined rank)).

[0122] Return to the description of FIG. 12B. When the control unit 320 determines that the intention of the user to go to the spot has not been registered and the waiting time has elapsed without receiving a registration request for the intention of the user to go to the spot (S1209: NO), it extracts, from the related user information 3141 of the user included in the related user information DB 314, the group to which the related user satisfying the condition of step S1208 belongs, and counts the number of related users (related users having access desire information corresponding to the spot ID) indicating the intention to go to the spot for each extracted group (S1218).

[0123] The screen data generation unit 327 adds, to the data of the spot detailed information screen generated in step S1205, information (an example of disclosure information regarding related users) indicating the icon of the group extracted in step S1218 and the number of related users indicating the intention to go to the spot included in the group (S1219), and proceeds to step S1214.

[0124] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the spot detailed information screen displayed on the display unit 1105. The spot detailed information screen 1600 in FIG. 16 is generated based on the screen data in step S1219. With the spot detailed information screen 1600 in FIG. 16, the user can confirm the detailed information of spot G01 and the group in which there are related users who have shown the intention to go to spot G01.

[0125] Among the configurations of the spot detailed information screen 1600 in FIG. 16, the parts similar to the spot detailed information screen 1400 in FIG. 14 will not be described, and the different parts will be described. The button 1407 in FIG. 16 indicates that the intention to go (and the time to go) has not been registered. When the intention to go is registered using the button 1407 in FIG. 16, the processing after step S1210 is executed, and the spot detailed information screen 1400 in FIG. 14 or the spot detailed information screen 1500 in FIG. 15 is displayed.

[0126] An icon 1609 is displayed in the display area 1408. The icon 1609 is an icon image in which the group name of the group including related users who have shown the intention to go to spot G01 is visible. The number of related users who want to go to spot G01 for each group is displayed along with each icon 1609.

[0127] Note that the display order of the group icons 1609 in the display area 1408 may be in the order of the number of related users who have shown the intention to go to spot G01, or may be in the order of the index value indicating the degree of importance of the group. The index value indicating the degree of importance of the group may be, for example, pre-input by the user of the user terminal 103, may be predetermined for each group name (type), or as the index value, the average value of the ranking calculated in the same manner as in step S1216 of the related users belonging to the group may be used.

[0128] Return to the description of FIG. 12A. When the related user information acquisition unit 322 determines that there is no access request information of the related user for the spot ID (S1208: NO), the process proceeds to the process of FIG. 17.

[0129] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of information providing processing when there is no related user who wishes to visit the spot selected by the user. The control unit 320 transmits the data of the spot detail information screen generated in step S1205 to the user terminal 103 (S1701). The control unit 1101 of the user terminal 103 receives the data of the spot detail information screen, generates visual information based on the data as the spot detail information screen, and displays it on the display unit 1105.

[0130] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the spot detail information screen displayed on the display unit 1105. The spot detail information screen 1800 in FIG. 18 is generated based on the screen data in step S1701. With the spot detail information screen 1800 in FIG. 18, the user can check the detailed information of spot G01.

[0131] Among the configurations of the spot detail information screen 1800 in FIG. 18, the description of the parts similar to the spot detail information screen 1400 in FIG. 14 will be omitted, and the different parts will be described. The button 1407 in FIG. 18 indicates that the intention to go (and the time when the user wants to go) has not been registered. When the intention to go and / or the time when the user wants to go is registered using the button 1407 in FIG. 18, the access request information of the user is registered. Note that when the intention to go and / or the time when the user wants to go has already been registered, the button 1407 corresponding to the registration status is displayed. Also, since there is no related user who has registered the intention to go to spot G01, the display area 1408 is blank.

[0132] Return to the description of FIG. 17. The control unit 320 waits until a predetermined time elapses after executing the immediately preceding process (the process of step S1701 or step S1704) (S1702). When the control unit 320 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed (S1702: YES), the related user information acquisition unit 322 specifies, from the visit wish information DB 313, the visit wish information including the spot ID of the spot indicated by the access request in step S1204 (S1703).

[0133] The related user information acquisition unit 322 determines whether the visit wish information of the related users of the user of the user terminal 103 that transmitted the access request is included in the visit wish information of the specified spot ID (S1704). When the related user information acquisition unit 322 determines that there is no visit wish information of the related user for the spot ID (S1704: NO), it returns to step S1702.

[0134] When the related user information acquisition unit 322 determines that there is visit wish information of the related user for the spot ID (S1704: YES), the control unit 320 transmits a notification indicating that there is a related user who has registered a desire to go, to the user terminal 103 of the user who transmitted the access request (S1705). The control unit 1101 of the user terminal 103 receives the notification, generates visual information based on the notification as a spot visit wish notification screen, and displays it on the display unit 1105.

[0135] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the spot visit wish notification screen displayed on the display unit 1105 of the user terminal 103. The spot visit wish notification screen 1900 is a screen for notifying that there is a related user who has registered a desire to go to the spot browsed by the user.

[0136] The spot visit request notification screen 1900 includes a display area 1901. In the display area 1901, a message indicating that there is a related user who has registered an intention to visit the spot that the user has viewed previously is displayed. Note that when the time when the related user wishes to visit the spot is registered, the message may include the user name of the related user. Also, regardless of whether the time when the related user wishes to visit the spot is registered or not, the message may include the user name of the related user. Further, when the time when the related user wishes to visit the spot is registered, the message may include the user name and / or the time of the related user.

[0137] Note that, for example, whether the spot visit request notification screen 1900 is displayed may be determined according to the registration status of the visit request information of the spot for the user. Specifically, for example, when the visit request information of the spot for the user is not registered, since it is highly likely that the user does not have an intention to visit the spot, the display of the spot visit request notification screen 1900 may not be performed. When the visit request information of the spot for the user is registered, since the user has an intention to visit the spot, the display of the spot visit request notification screen 1900 may be performed. Also, for example, the message displayed in the display area 1901 may vary according to the registration status of the visit request information of the spot for the user.

[0138] Return to the description of FIG. 17. The control unit 320 waits until it is determined that some screen sent from the information processing device 101 is opened by the user on the user terminal 103 that is the transmission target of the notification in step S1705 (step S1706). Note that when the user terminal 103 opens the screen, the user terminal 103 transmits a notification indicating that the screen has been opened to the information processing device 101, and the control unit 320 executes the determination in step S1706 based on whether the notification is received. When the control unit 320 determines that the screen has been opened on the user terminal 103 (S1706: YES), it proceeds to step S1209 in FIG. 12B.

[0139] Return to the description of FIG. 12A. When it is determined that the access request list display unit 321 has not received an access request to the detailed information of the spot (S1204: NO), the control unit 320 determines whether it has received an access request to the detailed information of the event (an example of selection information indicating the event selected by the user) from the user terminal 103 via the communication unit 330 (S1221).

[0140] In addition, when the control unit 1101 of the user terminal 103 analyzes the input operation from the user received by the input unit 1103, and as a result of the analysis, the input operation is a selection operation for a region corresponding to any event on the display area 1302, a request for access to the address embedded in the region corresponding to the selected event is transmitted.

[0141] When the access request list display unit 321 determines that it has not received an access request to the detailed information of the event (S1221: NO), it returns to step S1204. When the access request list display unit 321 determines that it has received an access request to the detailed information of the event (S1221: YES), it proceeds to the process of FIG. 20.

[0142] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of information providing processing when an access request to the detailed information of an event is made. The access request list display unit 321 generates data of an event detailed information screen for providing the detailed information of the event indicated by the access request in step S1221 (S2001).

[0143] The related user information acquisition unit 322 registers the related user information received by the communication unit 330 via the network 102 from the contact management server 106 in the related user information DB 314 (S2002). Note that the related user information in step S2002 is information regarding the related users of the user of the user terminal 103 that transmitted the access request in step S1221.

[0144] The related user information acquisition unit 322 specifies, from the visit request information DB 313, visit request information including the event ID of the event indicated by the access request in step S1221 (S2003). The related user information acquisition unit 322 determines whether the visit request information of the related users of the user of the user terminal 103 that transmitted the access request in step S1221 is included in the specified visit request information of the event ID (S2004).

[0145] When the related user information acquisition unit 322 determines that there is visit request information of the related user of the event ID (S2004: YES), the control unit 320 determines whether, in accordance with a registration request for registering the intention of the user to visit the event, the intention has already been registered in the visit request information DB 313 (that is, whether the correspondence between the user ID of the user and the event ID of the event is registered), or whether the registration request has been received from the user terminal 103 of the user who transmitted the access request via the communication unit 330 before the elapse of a standby time of a predetermined length although the intention has not been registered (S2005).

[0146] When the control unit 320 determines that the intention has already been registered or that the registration request has been received before the elapse of the standby time (S2005: YES), it registers in the visit request information DB 313 the visit request information in which the user ID of the user and the event ID of the event are associated, and the co-visitation possibility calculation unit 323 calculates the co-visitation possibility for each of the related users of the user (S2006). Note that when the intention has already been registered in the visit request information DB 313, the registration of the visit request information is omitted in step S2006. Note that the co-visitation possibility calculation process in step S2006 is the same as in step S1211, except that the visit request time is not used in the calculation of the co-visitation possibility in step S2006.

[0147] The ranking assignment unit 325 assigns rankings to the related users of the user in descending order of the calculated likelihood of visiting together in step S2006 (S2007). Note that instead of the calculation process and ranking assignment process of the likelihood of visiting together in steps S2006 and S2007, a ranking assignment process based on the related user information 3141 similar to that in step S1216 may be performed. Note that filtering may be performed in combination with ranking assignment as in step S1212.

[0148] The screen data generation unit 327 adds information indicating the icon of the related user and the ranking assigned in step S2007 (an example of disclosure information regarding the related user) to the data of the event detail information screen generated in step S2001 (S2008), and proceeds to step S1214 in FIG. 12B. Note that since the event has a limited holding period and can be accessed only during the holding period, when an access request for the detailed information of the event is transmitted, unlike the case when an access request for the detailed information of the spot is transmitted, a registration request for the time when the user wants to go to the event is not accepted, and the estimation of the time when the user wants to go to the event is not performed.

[0149] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the event detail information screen displayed on the display unit 1105. The event detail information screen 2100 in FIG. 21 is generated based on the screen data in step S2008. With the event detail information screen 2100 in FIG. 21, the user can confirm the detailed information of the event E01 and the existence of related users who seem likely to go to the event E01 together.

[0150] The event detail information screen 2100 includes, for example, display areas 2101 to 2105, a pull-down menu 2106, a button 2107, and a display area 2108. The name of the event E01 (the event indicated by the event request) is displayed in the display area 2101. An image (video or still image) of the event E01 is displayed in the display area 2102. The business hours of the event E01 (for example, the time indicated in the holding period of the event information 3021) are displayed in the display area 2103.

[0151] In the display area 2104, the recommended viewpoints of event E01 are displayed. In the display area 2105, the age group and other attributes of the users who visit event E01 are set. Also, the pull-down 2106 is a pull-down for displaying a list of other information of event E01. The information displayed in the display areas 2101 to 2104 and the pull-down 2106 are all generated from the event information 3021 of the event ID. The information displayed in the display area 2105 is generated, for example, from the user characteristic information 3051 of the users who include the event E01 (or the related spots of the event E01) in their main action history.

[0152] The button 2107 is a button that combines the function of registering the intention of the user of the user terminal 103 on which the event detail information screen 2100 is displayed to go to event E01 and the function of displaying the registration status. In the example of the button 2107 in FIG. 21, the intention of the user to go is already registered.

[0153] In the display area 2108, an icon 2109 is displayed. The icon 2109 is an icon included in the user information of the related users who want to go to event E01 (with a high ranking given in step S2007 (for example, within a predetermined rank)). Also, in the display area 2108, the user names of the related users indicated by each of the icons 2109 are displayed.

[0154] Returning to the description of FIG. 20. When the control unit 320 determines that the intention of the user to go to the event has not been registered and the waiting time has elapsed without receiving a registration request for the intention to go to the event (S2005: NO), it extracts from the related user information 3141 of the user included in the related user information DB314 the groups to which the related users who satisfy the conditions of step S2004 belong, and counts the number of related users who have indicated the intention to go to the event for each of the extracted groups (related users who have access request information corresponding to the event ID) (S2009).

[0155] The screen data generation unit 327 adds information indicating an icon of the group extracted in step S2009 and the number of related users indicating the intention to go to the event included in the group (an example of disclosure information regarding related users) to the data of the event detail information screen generated in step S2001 (S2010), and proceeds to step S1214.

[0156] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the event detail information screen displayed on the display unit 1105. The event detail information screen 2200 in FIG. 22 is generated based on the screen data in step S2010. With the event detail information screen 2200 in FIG. 20, the user can confirm the detailed information of event E01 and the group in which there are related users indicating the intention to go to event E01.

[0157] Among the configurations of the event detail information screen 2200 in FIG. 22, descriptions of the parts similar to the event detail information screen 2100 in FIG. 21 are omitted, and the different parts will be described. The button 2107 in FIG. 22 indicates that the intention to go (and the time to go) has not been registered. When the intention to go is registered using the button 2107 in FIG. 22, the processing after step S2006 is executed, and the event detail information screen 2100 in FIG. 21 is displayed.

[0158] An icon 2209 is displayed in the display area 2108. The icon 2209 is an icon image in which the group name of the group including related users indicating the intention to go to event E01 is visible. The number of related users who want to go to event E01 for each group is displayed accompanying each icon 2209.

[0159] Note that the display order of the group icons 2209 in the display area 2108 may be in the order of the number of related users indicating the intention to go to event E01, or may be in the order of the index values indicating the degree of importance of the group.

[0160] Return to the description of FIG. 20. When the related user information acquisition unit 322 determines that there is no information on the visit request of the related user for the event ID (S2004: NO), the process proceeds to the process of FIG. 23.

[0161] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of information providing processing when there is no related user who wishes to visit the event selected by the user. The control unit 320 transmits the data of the event detail information screen generated in step S2001 to the user terminal 103 (S2301). The control unit 1101 of the user terminal 103 receives the data of the event detail information screen, generates visual information based on the data as the event detail information screen, and displays it on the display unit 1105.

[0162] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the event detail information screen displayed on the display unit 1105. The event detail information screen 2400 in FIG. 24 is generated based on the screen data in step S2301. With the event detail information screen 2400 in FIG. 24, the user can check the detailed information of event E01.

[0163] Among the configurations of the event detail information screen 2400 in FIG. 24, the description of the parts similar to the event detail information screen 2100 in FIG. 21 will be omitted, and the different parts will be described. The button 2107 in FIG. 24 indicates that the intention to go has been registered. When the intention to go has not been registered, the button 2107 in FIG. 24 is displayed with "Register to go" or the like. When the intention to go is registered using the button 2107, the visit request information of the user is registered. Also, since there is no related user who has registered to go to event E01, the display area 2108 is blank.

[0164] Return to the description of FIG. 23. The control unit 320 waits until a predetermined time elapses after executing the immediately preceding process (the process of step S2301 or step S2304) (S2302). When the control unit 320 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed (S2302: YES), the related user information acquisition unit 322 specifies, from the access desire information DB 313, the access desire information including the event ID of the event indicated by the access request in step S1221 (S2303). However, in step S2302, when the opening period indicated by the event information 3021 of the event has ended at the time when the predetermined time has elapsed, the processes after step S2303 are terminated.

[0165] The related user information acquisition unit 322 determines whether the access desire information of the related user of the user of the user terminal 103 that transmitted the access request is included in the access desire information of the event ID thus specified (S2304). When the related user information acquisition unit 322 determines that there is no access desire information of the related user of the event ID (S2304: NO), it returns to step S2302.

[0166] When the related user information acquisition unit 322 determines that there is access desire information of the related user of the event ID (S2304: YES), the control unit 320 transmits a notification indicating that there is a related user who has registered a desire to go, to the user terminal 103 of the user who transmitted the access request (S2305). The control unit 1101 of the user terminal 103 receives the notification, generates visual information based on the notification as an event access desire notification screen, and displays it on the display unit 1105.

[0167] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the event access desire notification screen displayed on the display unit 1105 of the user terminal 103. The event access desire notification screen 2500 is a screen for notifying that there is a related user who has registered a desire to go for the event viewed by the user.

[0168] The event visit request notification screen 2500 includes a display area 2501. In the display area 2501, a message indicating that there is a related user who has registered the intention to go to an event that the user has viewed before is displayed. The message may include the user name of the related user.

[0169] Note that, for example, whether the event visit request notification screen 2500 is displayed may be determined according to the registration status of the visit request information of the user for the event. Specifically, for example, when the visit request information of the user for the event is not registered, since it is highly likely that the user does not have the intention to go to the event, the display of the event visit request notification screen 2500 may not be performed. When the visit request information of the user for the event is registered, since the user has the intention to go to the event, the display of the event visit request notification screen 2500 may be performed. Also, for example, the message displayed in the display area 2501 may be different according to the registration status of the visit request information of the user for the event.

[0170] Return to the description of FIG. 23. The control unit 320 waits until it is determined that some screen sent from the information processing apparatus 101 is opened by the user on the user terminal 103 which is the transmission target of the notification in step S2305 (step S2306). Note that when the user terminal 103 opens the screen, the user terminal 103 transmits a notification indicating that the screen has been opened to the information processing apparatus 101, and the control unit 320 executes the determination in step S2306 based on whether the notification is received. When the control unit 320 determines that the screen has been opened on the user terminal 103 (S2306: YES), it transitions to step S2005 in FIG. 20.

[0171] As described above, when a user accesses detailed information about an object to be visited, the information providing system 100 of this embodiment displays information regarding the visiting desire of related users for the object to be visited. Thereby, the user can obtain information about related users who have a visiting desire for the object of interest, and this can lead to a conversation about visiting the object to be visited together with the related users, enabling the user to obtain motivation for the visit. In this way, providing information to one user leads to an outing by multiple people. Also, since related users are users who communicate with the user, a stronger motivation to visit the object to be visited can be given to the user.

[0172] In particular, the information providing system 100 changes the degree of disclosure of disclosure information regarding related users having a visiting desire according to the registration status of the visiting desire information of the user regarding the object to be visited (that is, according to the degree of disclosure of the intention of the user's visiting desire for the object to be visited (the scope of information disclosed to related users)).

[0173] Specifically, for example, the information providing system 100 provides the following information. If the intention to visit the object to be visited by the user is not registered, the information providing system 100 displays information regarding the group to which related users having the intention to visit the object to be visited belong. If the intention to visit the object to be visited by the user is registered, the information providing system 100 displays information indicating related users having the intention to visit the object to be visited. If the intention and time to visit the object to be visited by the user are registered, the information providing system 100 provides information indicating related users having the intention to visit the object to be visited and the time when the related users intend to visit the object to be visited.

[0174] By providing more information to the user as the number of registered items of the visiting desire information of the user regarding the object to be visited increases in this way, the information providing system 100 can obtain more information of the user and it becomes easier to acquire detailed visiting desire information of many users.

[0175] On the other hand, although the information providing system 100 changes the degree of disclosure of disclosure information regarding related users having a desire to visit according to the degree of disclosure of the desire to visit a user's visit target, contrary to the above example, the fewer the number of registration items of the visit desire information regarding the user's visit target, the more information may be provided to the user. Thereby, for example, for a user who does not have the intention to go to the visit target, more detailed information such as a related user who has the intention to go to the visit target and the time when they want to go is provided, so that the user can be given a motivation to visit the visit target.

[0176] Also, in the information providing system 100 of the present embodiment, although there was no related user having the intention to go to the visit target corresponding to the detailed information when the user accessed the detailed information, if a related user having the intention to go to the visit target appears thereafter, by providing the user with information indicating the appearance of the related user, the user can be given a motivation to visit the visit target.

[0177] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, a part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Also, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Also, for a part of the configuration of each embodiment, addition, deletion, or replacement with other configurations may be made.

[0178] For example, in step S1212, step S1216, and step S2007, ranking may be given using user style information indicating the style of the user with respect to the information of the user's visit target.

[0179] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of user style information. The user style information indicates, for each user ID, the "category" and "subcategory" of the access target, and the "style" of the user with respect to the access target corresponding to the "category" and the "subcategory". The style represents, for example, the attitude of the user regarding the transmission of information to related users, and is set for each "category" and "subcategory". The attitude regarding the transmission of information includes, for example, the influencer type and the follower type. Influencer-type users tend to recognize the characteristics of the access target corresponding to the "category" and "subcategory", and provide recommendation and evaluation information to related users. Follower-type users tend to access the access target corresponding to the "category" and "subcategory" based on the information provided by influencer-type users. Values such as the follower type or the influencer type are stored in the "style".

[0180] For example, in the above-described process of assigning a ranking, when the "category" and / or "subcategory" included in the user style information of the related user to whom the ranking is to be assigned is included in the spot information 3011 or event information 3021 (such as the merchant or genre) corresponding to the access target corresponding to the access request, and the "style" included in the user style information is different between the user and the related user (for example, when the "style" included in the user style information of the user is the follower type and the "style" included in the user style information of the related user is the influencer type, or when the "style" included in the user style information of the user is the influencer type and the "style" included in the user style information of the related user is the follower type), it may be configured to affect an increase in the ranking of the related user. As a result, related users with different styles are preferentially displayed.

[0181] In addition, as a search condition in step S1202, it is also possible to specify a condition for searching only for spots that related users of a specific group set by the user can go to within the time set by the user.

[0182] In addition, each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in hardware by designing part or all of them, for example, by means of an integrated circuit, or may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program for realizing each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files for realizing each function can be stored in a storage device such as a memory, a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) card, an SD card, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0183] In addition, the control lines and information lines show those considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines necessary for implementation. In reality, it may be considered that almost all the components are interconnected.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0184] 100 Information providing system, 101 Information processing apparatus, 103 User terminal, 201 Processor, 202 Storage device, 203 Input device, 204 Output device, 205 Communication IF, 301 Spot information DB, 302 Event information DB, 305 User characteristic DB, 306 User information DB, 311 Location information history DB, 312 Spot visit history, 313 Visit hope information DB, 314 Related user information DB, 321 Visit target list display unit, 322 Related user information acquisition unit, 323 Co-visiting possibility calculation unit, 324 Information collection unit, 325 Ranking unit, 326 Screen data generation unit, 327 Spot visit time estimation unit

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory holds selection information indicating an access target selected by a first user, and access desire information indicating access targets that each of the first user and a related user having a relationship with the first user desires to access, and the processor identifies, from the access desire information, a related user who desires to access the selected access target, generates disclosure information regarding the identified related user, the disclosure information being disclosed to the first user to a degree of disclosure corresponding to a registration status regarding the selected access target of the first user in the access desire information, and generates data for displaying the generated disclosure information.

2. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the processor determines that the correspondence between the first user and the selected access target is registered in the access desire information, the information indicating the identified related user is included in the disclosure information.

3. The information providing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the access target includes a first access target that can be accessed regardless of a period, the selection information indicates whether the selected access target is the first access target, the access desire information indicates an access desired time for the first access target that each of the first user and the related user desires to access, and the processor determines based on the selection information that the selected access target is the first access target, and determines that the correspondence between the first user, the selected access target, and the access desired time for the selected access target is registered in the access desire information, acquires, from the access desire information, the access desired time for the selected access target of the identified related user, and includes, in the disclosure information, information indicating the identified related user and the acquired access desired time.

4. The information providing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the memory holds information indicating an index value indicating the strength of the relationship between the first user and the related user, and the processor calculates, based on the index value between the first user and the identified related user, a probability that the first user and the identified related user can visit the selected access target together. An information providing apparatus that determines the display priority order of the identified related user when displaying the generated disclosure information based on the calculated probability.

5. The information providing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the memory holds cluster information indicating clusters generated based on the history of user activities and the distances between the clusters, and user information indicating the clusters to which the first user and the related users respectively belong, wherein the index value between the first user and the identified related user includes the distance between the cluster to which the first user belongs and the cluster to which the identified related user belongs.

6. The information providing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the memory holds information indicating the date and time when the first user last met the related user, wherein the index value between the first user and the identified related user includes the difference between the current time and the date and time when the first user last met the identified related user.

7. The information providing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the memory holds information indicating the distance between the residence of the first user and the residence of the related user, wherein the index value between the first user and the identified related user includes the distance between the residence of the first user and the residence of the identified related user.

8. The information providing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor calculates the probability that the first user and the identified related user can visit the selected visit target together based on the difference between the desired visit time of the first user to the selected visit target and the desired visit time of the identified related user to the selected visit target, and determines the display priority order of the identified related user when displaying the generated disclosure information based on the calculated probability.

9. The information providing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the memory holds information indicating the visit history of the first user to the visit target, when it is determined based on the selection information that the selected visit target is the first visit target, and the correspondence between the first user and the selected visit target is registered in the visit desire information, but the desired visit time of the first user to the selected visit target is not registered in the visit desire information. Based on the access history of the first user to the selected access target, an estimated value of the desired access time of the first user to the selected access target is calculated. An information providing apparatus that calculates the probability by regarding the calculated estimated value as the desired access time of the first user to the selected access target.

10. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the processor determines that the correspondence between the first user and the selected access target is not registered in the access desire information, the information providing apparatus includes information indicating the number of the identified related users in the disclosed information.

11. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor, when determining, with reference to the access desire information, that there is no related user who desires to access the selected access target, determines, at a predetermined timing after determining that there is no related user who desires to access the selected access target, whether there is a related user who desires to access the selected access target by referring to the access desire information, and when determining, at the predetermined timing, that there is a related user who desires to access the selected access target, generates data for displaying notification information for notifying the existence of the related user.

12. The information providing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the access target includes a second access target that can be accessed only during a specific period, the selection information indicates whether the selected access target is the second access target, the memory holds information indicating the period during which the second access target can be accessed, the processor determines whether the selected access target is the second access target based on the selection information, and the predetermined timing when the selected access target is the second access target is after the processor determines that there is no related user who desires to access the selected access target and before the period during which the selected access target can be accessed ends.

13. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory, holds access target information indicating the access target, cluster information indicating a cluster generated based on the history of user activities, a main access target in the access history by the users belonging to the cluster, and the distance between the clusters, and user information indicating the cluster to which the first user belongs. The processor selects a cluster based on the distance between the cluster indicated by the cluster information and the cluster to which the first user belongs identifies the main access target corresponding to the selected cluster from the cluster information generates data for displaying the identified main access target An information providing apparatus, wherein the access target indicated by the selection information includes an access target selected from the identified main access target

14. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory holds user style information indicating styles of the first user and the related user with respect to their respective access targets wherein the style indicates an attitude of the user regarding the transmission of information about the access target to the related user of the user The processor identifies the styles of the first user and the identified related user from the user style information determines the display priority order of the identified related user when displaying the generated disclosure information based on the styles of the first user and the identified related user An information providing apparatus that increases the priority order of the identified related user having a style different from that of the first user

15. An information providing method by an information providing apparatus, wherein the information providing apparatus includes a processor and a memory The memory holds selection information indicating an access target selected by a first user and access desire information indicating access targets that the first user and related users having a relationship with the first user each desire to access The information providing method includes the processor identifying, from the access desire information, a related user who desires to access the selected access target the processor generating disclosure information regarding the identified related user, the disclosure information being disclosed to the first user to a degree of disclosure according to the registration status of the selected access target of the first user in the access desire information and the processor generating data for displaying the generated disclosure information

Images