Information processing system, program, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an information processing system, a program, and an information processing method capable of enhancing the interest of a user in providing electronic books.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes: a storage unit which stores electronic book information; an information extraction unit which extracts a section including predetermined key information out of information pertaining to a content of an electronic book included in the electronic book information; a presentation setting unit which adds invocation position specification information related to haptic-based presentation to the section including the key information, and sets a location to invoke the presentation in the electronic book; and a presentation control unit which detects the invocation position specification information when the section with the invocation position specification information is displayed on a display unit of a user terminal, and executes processing to invoke the haptic-based presentation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system, a program, and an information processing method related to the provision of e-books.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, e-books that can be viewed using mobile terminals such as smartphones and tablet terminals have become popular. E-books include content obtained by converting printed books published in paper media into electronic files, and content created from the beginning for e-books, and technologies for creating and editing e-books have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When providing an e-book, if a function that is difficult to embody in a printed book on paper can be added, the user's interest in viewing the e-book can be improved.

[0005] An object of an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure is to provide an information processing system, a program, and an information processing method that can improve the user's interest in providing an e-book.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a storage unit that stores e-book information; an information extraction unit that extracts a section including predetermined key information from information regarding the content of an e-book included in the e-book information; Attach activation position specific information related to the effect by tactile stimulation to the section including the key information, and set a section for activating the effect in the e-book, an effect setting unit; When the section with the activation position specific information attached thereto is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal, detect the activation position specific information and execute a process for activating the effect by the tactile stimulation, an effect control unit; The information processing system includes the effect setting unit and the effect control unit.

[0007] Since the information processing system has the above characteristics, it is possible to improve the user's interest in browsing e-books.

[0008] A program according to an aspect of the present disclosure reads out e-book information stored in a storage unit, and extracts a section including predetermined key information from information related to the content of the e-book included in the e-book information; attaches activation position specific information related to the effect by tactile stimulation to the section including the key information, and sets a section for activating the effect in the e-book; when the section with the activation position specific information attached thereto is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal, causes a computer to detect the activation position specific information and execute a process for activating the effect by the tactile stimulation.

[0009] Since the program has the above characteristics, it is possible to improve the user's interest in browsing e-books.

[0010] An information processing method according to an aspect of the present disclosure reads out e-book information stored in a storage unit, and extracts a section including predetermined key information from information related to the content of the e-book included in the e-book information; attaches activation position specific information related to the effect by tactile stimulation to the section including the key information, and sets a section for activating the effect in the e-book; When the section with the activation position identification information attached is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal, the computer detects the activation position identification information and activates the effect by the tactile stimulus.

[0011] By having the information processing method with the above characteristics, the user's interest in browsing e-books can be improved.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] The information processing system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the attached drawings, the same or similar elements are given the same or similar reference numerals and names, and redundant descriptions regarding the same or similar elements may be omitted in the description of the embodiment. Note that the content shown in each drawing is merely an example for explaining the present embodiment, and is only a schematic example shown for ease of explaining the present embodiment. The content of each drawing may be modified or changed within a range where no technical problems occur.

[0014] <Overview of the System> The information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment is a system for providing an electronic book distribution service to a user 3 via a network N such as the Internet. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 10 mainly includes at least one server 20 and at least one user terminal 30. The server 20 is deployed in an operator 1 that provides an electronic book distribution service, and the server 20 and the user terminal 30 of the user 3 that receives the electronic book distribution service are connected so as to be accessible to each other via the network N. Although omitted in FIG. 1, the information processing system 10 may include an editing terminal used by an author, supervisor, etc. of an electronic book, and the editing terminal may be connected to the server 20 via the network N. In the following description, those who can create or process an electronic book (work) before distribution, such as an author, editor, supervisor, publisher, or the operator 1 that provides the service, will be collectively referred to as "editors".

[0015] A large number of electronic book data are stored in the server 20 of the information processing system 10. The user 3 can connect the user terminal 30 to the server 20 and receive the selected electronic book data from the server, thereby browsing a desired electronic book.

[0016] In the e-book distribution service provided by the information processing system 10, a viewer, which is an e-book viewing application, is used for the user terminal 30 to receive and display (play back) e-book data. This viewer may be a dedicated application (viewer application) pre-installed on the user terminal 30 when receiving the e-book distribution service, or a plug-in application (so-called browser viewer) that utilizes the function expansion of the browser. When the viewer is provided as a plug-in application, the user 3 can view e-books on the web browser without installing a dedicated application. Note that the user 3 may be able to select whether to use a dedicated application or a browser viewer when viewing e-books.

[0017] When distributing (transmitting) e-book data from the server 20 to the user terminal 30, the HTML method (Hyper Text Markup Language) may be adopted, the FTP method (File Transfer Protocol) may be adopted, or e-book data may be distributed in other communication formats. Also, the distribution of e-book data may be executed in the download method or the streaming method. For example, when viewing an e-book with a dedicated viewer application, the download method may be adopted, and when viewing an e-book with a browser viewer, the streaming method may be adopted.

[0018] An e-book is a reading-type content (static content) such as comics, magazines, picture books, novels, etc. that has been digitized. The genre of e-books provided by the information processing system 10 is not particularly limited. Also, the e-books provided by the information processing system 10 may be content obtained by digitizing printed books published in paper media, may be content created from the beginning for e-books, or both may be provided. In this embodiment, the case of distributing comics (especially comics that are browsed based on the scrolling operation of user 3 like vertically scrolled comics) as e-books is exemplified, but the information processing system 10 is applicable to the distribution of e-books in general.

[0019] When browsing an e-book, the information processing system 10 of this embodiment activates an effect by tactile stimulation at a specific location (scene) within the e-book, and gives the user an interest that cannot be experienced when browsing a printed book in paper media through the synergistic effect of vision and touch. Here, the effect by tactile stimulation means an effect that gives a mechanical stimulus (tactile feedback by pressure or vibration, etc.) to user 3 who browses the e-book on the user terminal 30 in a specific scene. In the following description, the effect by tactile stimulation may be referred to as a "haptic effect".

[0020] In the present embodiment, a process of incorporating effects by tactile stimuli into an e-book will be exemplified. However, the effects targeted by the information processing system and the like of the present disclosure are not necessarily limited to tactile stimuli. For example, when incorporating effects by auditory effects and / or visual effects into an e-book, the information processing of the present embodiment may be applied. Examples of effects by auditory effects include, for example, generating sound effects, playing voice data recording the lines of characters in a comic, playing background music (BGM), and other effects by sound. Examples of effects by visual effects include, for example, effects by inserting animations such as videos, moving effects such as magnifying / shrinking frames in a comic, moving characters in a comic, appearing effect lines, switching light and dark of light, effects related to light intensity such as changing the light intensity of a display screen, effects related to color such as changing the saturation of an image constituting a comic, and changing the hue of an image.

[0021] In the information processing system 10 of the present embodiment, candidate locations for activating effects from within an e-book are automatically screened and extracted, and based on the extracted candidate locations, determination of activation locations of effects and setting of effect contents are executed. Hereinafter, details of the information processing system 10 will be described.

[0022] <Configuration of Server Device> The server 20 is an information processing device used when operating and managing an e-book distribution service, and as described above, is deployed in the business operator 1 that provides the e-book distribution service. The server 20 as an information processing device may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically constructed by cloud computing technology.

[0023] The server 20 includes a storage unit 21 that stores various data and application programs, a control unit 22 that controls the entire server 20, and a server communication unit 23 that transmits and receives data to and from the user terminal 30 via the network N.

[0024] <Memory Unit (Server)> The memory unit 21 is a storage area of the server 20 that stores programs for executing various control processes and each function within the control unit 22, and various information necessary for providing an e-book distribution service. It is composed of one or any combination of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), and other storage devices. Further, the memory unit 21 may have a function of temporarily storing the communication content of the server 20 when the server 20 communicates.

[0025] The memory unit 21 of the server 20 may have a plurality of areas partitioned according to the type of information to be stored. For example, the memory unit 21 may include an e-book information storage unit 211 and a user information storage unit 212.

[0026] The e-book information storage unit 211 stores and stores information (hereinafter referred to as e-book information) regarding each e-book provided by the information processing system 10. For example, the e-book information may include a work ID which is an identifier for identifying each e-book, and information associated with the work ID such as a work name (title), a cover image, an author name, publisher information (including sales source information), an issue date, work summary description information (abstract, table of contents, etc.), price information, the number of pages, work content information (the work itself), data size, and production information. In addition to the above, the e-book information may also include setting information for the e-book such as key information described later, reviews by users who have purchased the work, evaluation information for the work, related work information (e.g., information on other works included in the series to which the work belongs), recommended work information (e.g., a list of other works by the same author, other works belonging to the same category as the work, other works read by users who have purchased the work, etc.).

[0027] The work content information is information about the work itself and includes information necessary for viewing each e-book. The composition of the work content information is appropriately determined according to the type of e-book. For example, the work content information of a comic includes the image data that makes up the comic. This image data includes drawing information such as the characters and backgrounds that appear, dialogue, narration, and text information such as onomatopoeia in the comic like "Don" and "Gogogogogo", drawing line information such as effect lines (e.g., concentration lines, drool lines, speed lines, dot patterns), color information attached to this information (drawing information, text information, drawing line information), and various information that makes up the content of the comic such as section composition information like frames and speech bubbles that divide the scenes in the comic.

[0028] For example, the image data 2110 schematically shown in FIG. 3 is an example of the image data included in the e-book information of a comic. The image data 2110 has a plurality of consecutive sections (cuts) in a predetermined one direction, and this section may be a "frame" representing each scene on the time axis in the comic. In the image data 2110 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, etc., a plurality of sections that are frames of the comic are arranged consecutively along the vertical direction, and when the user 3 scrolls the display unit 34 of the user terminal 30 vertically, the plurality of sections that make up the image data 2110 are continuously and sequentially displayed. That is, the image data 2110 is an example of the image data of a vertically scrollable comic.

[0029] The direction in which the sections are consecutive is not limited to the example of FIG. 3, and image data in which the sections are consecutive in the horizontal direction may also be used. Each section that makes up the image data 2110 may have a uniform size, or an arbitrary size may be set for each section. Also, one work may be aggregated into one image data 2110, or one work may be composed of a plurality of image data 2110. When distributing an e-book in a streaming manner, one image data 2110 may be divided and distributed to the user terminal 30. That is, in streaming distribution, data may be distributed from the server 20 to the user terminal 30 for each individual section or for every predetermined number of sections.

[0030] When a comic published in a paper medium is converted into an electronic file, the image data of the comic may be composed of a plurality of images corresponding to the pages of a printed book (that is, the image data may be data obtained by aggregating images for each page including a plurality of frames). In the case of such a comic corresponding to a printed book, each page of the comic is displayed on the user terminal 30 along with an operation of turning the page such as tapping or swiping by the user 3.

[0031] The production information is information regarding haptic effects set in the e-book. For example, FIG. 4 shows an example of the production information. The production information is generated for each e-book, and the production information may include a production ID that identifies each haptic effect to be activated in the work, a activation position associated with the production ID, and production details such as a vibration pattern and a vibration time. When an e-book obtained by converting a printed book into an electronic file is displayed on the display area of the user terminal 30 in page units, setting information such as the time from when the page with the activation position set is displayed until the haptic effect is activated may be included in the production information. FIG. 4 illustrates production information in the case where a haptic effect is activated in a section C11 including a predetermined concentration line CL in the drawing line information within a frame and a section C36 including a predetermined character CH in the drawing information within a frame. In one work, the same content of haptic effects may be uniformly set for a plurality of activation positions, or as shown in FIG. 4, the content of the haptic effects may be set for each activation position.

[0032] Note that the e-book information may include production information by methods other than tactile stimuli (for example, production by sound data such as BGM and sound effects, production by animation, other effects related to movement, light intensity, color, etc.), and voice information that reads out text information within the work.

[0033] The user information storage unit 212 stores information associated with each user 3 who uses the e-book distribution service. For example, the user information storage unit 212 may include a user ID which is an identifier for specifying each user 3, a user name, a registration date to the e-book distribution service, purchase history information (downloaded e-book information, purchased e-book list, purchase date of each work, etc.), and browsing history information (browsing status for each work, most recent browsing date, etc.) associated with the user ID.

[0034] <Control Unit (Server)> The control unit 22 is a component that transfers data between each unit and controls the entire server 20. The control unit 22 has a function of executing various information processes necessary for providing the e-book distribution service. The function of the control unit 22 is realized by a computing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and / or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) reading data and programs stored in a predetermined storage and executing various programs in the working area of the memory.

[0035] The control unit 22 has a plurality of functional units according to the type of information process to be executed. For example, the control unit 22 may include, as functional units, a key information setting unit 220, an information extraction unit 221, a rendering setting unit 222, and a distribution control unit 223.

[0036] The key information setting unit 220 executes a process of setting key information used when determining a position to trigger a haptic rendering based on a request from an editor (request and instruction information sent from an editing terminal, etc.). The key information is information for extracting candidates for the activation position of the haptic rendering, and is at least one piece of information selected from among information related to the content of the e-book (work content information). The key information is preferably information related to at least one type selected from among color information, character information, drawing line information, drawing information, and section configuration information included in each section of the image data 2110.

[0037] For example, when there are a monochrome (including single-color two-tone or gradation such as "black and white" or "grayscale") section and a color section mixed in the work content information such as image data 2110, if "color image" is set as the key information, the color section will be extracted as a candidate position for triggering the production by the information extraction unit 221 described later. Also, a section containing characters of a specific color (for example, red characters) may be set as the key information to extract the section containing the specified color characters. As other examples of setting character information as the key information, characters of a specific font, characters of a specific size (for example, extracting a section containing characters with a font size of ○○ or more), a specific word (for example, extracting a section containing a specific incantation or skill name), the number of characters in a section (extracting a section with ○○ or more characters), etc. may be set as the key information.

[0038] As an example of setting the drawing line information as the key information, a specific type of effect line (for example, extracting a section containing a uni-flash), an effect line with a specific density (for example, extracting a section with ○○ or more concentrated lines), etc. may be set as the key information. In particular, concentrated lines are often used in important scenes, scenes that attract the reader's attention, etc., and are suitable for key information. As an example of setting the drawing information as the key information, a specific character (for example, a specific ghost (Slit-Mouthed Woman) in a horror comic) may be set as the key information to extract a section containing the specific character. In addition, as key information related to both the drawing line information and the drawing information, the number of lines in a section (for example, the number of lines in a section is ○○ or more) may be set, and a section with a writing amount equal to or more than the number set by the key information may be extracted.

[0039] As the section composition information, for example, a section of a specific size may be set as the key information, or the size of the section may be set as the key information to extract a section having a length of a predetermined number or more in the scroll direction or a frame having an area of a predetermined number or more. Also, the shape of the section, the shape of the speech bubble, the size of the speech bubble, etc. included in the section composition information may be set as the key information. For example, an emphasized speech bubble with a spiky outline may be set as the key information to extract the section containing the speech bubble.

[0040] When applying the same key information uniformly to all e-books for which performances are set, the information processing system 10 does not necessarily have the function of the key information setting unit 220. However, when it is possible to receive the designation of key information for each e-book (for each work), it is preferable that the information processing system 10 has the key information setting unit 220. For example, if the haptic performance is activated in specific scenes such as important scenes in the story of a comic or scenes that the reader wants to draw attention to, a higher level of interest can be felt by the user through the synergistic effect of vision and touch. Therefore, it is preferable that the key information can be flexibly set for each work by the side providing the e-books, such as the author, the publisher, or Business Operator 1, according to the content of the work, etc.

[0041] The key information setting unit 220 receives the designation of at least one key information by the editor and determines at least one key information for the e-book. The determination of the key information by the key information setting unit 220 may be executed when the editor creates or processes (including the editing work) the work, or when the editor newly uploads the work to the server 20, or may be executed at an arbitrary timing in response to a request by the editor, such as Business Operator 1, for a work already registered in the server 20.

[0042] For example, the key information setting unit 220 transmits a setting form including a list of items that can be set as key information, etc., to the editing terminal in response to a request from the editor, and receives the designation of key information by the editor via the setting form. The request for the setting form by the editor may be executed in a situation where the work to which the key information is to be applied (hereinafter, may be referred to as the applicable target work) is specified, or may be executed in a situation where the applicable target work is not specified. In the latter case, after determining the key information, the key information setting unit 220 may receive the designation of the applicable target work by the editor, or may execute the storage of the key information designated without specifying the applicable target work.

[0043] The items presented in the setting form are items related to pornographic information, character information, drawing line information, drawing information, and section configuration information as described above. The setting form may include an input field for specifying the applicable work. For items such as character color, font style, type of effect line, section shape, and speech bubble shape (type), a pull-down list may be associated so that key information can be selected from the pre-registered candidates. Also, for items that involve specifying numerical values such as character size, number of characters, effect line density, section size, and speech bubble size, a numerical input field may be provided. Further, the setting form may be provided with an input field (e.g., a field for entering a specific word in text, an input field for uploading a specific character image, etc.) that allows the editor to customize and freely specify key information so that a specific word, specific character, etc. can be specified as key information.

[0044] The editor can select at least one item from the multiple items included in the setting form (items related to pornographic information, character information, drawing line information, drawing information, and section configuration information as described above) and specify key information. At this time, one key information may be specified for one work, or multiple key information may be specifiable for one work. The specification of key information is not limited to the method of using the setting form as described above, and the specification of key information for the target work may be executed using the key information that has been set and saved in the past.

[0045] The key information setting unit 220 transmits the key information specified by the editor to the storage unit 21 and stores it. At this time, only the key information may be saved without associating it with the work ID, or the key information may be saved in association with the work ID of the target e-book. The key information setting unit 220 may accept the specification of key information for each e-book, or may accept the specification of key information for multiple e-books belonging to a predetermined group of works (e.g., a group of works belonging to the same series, a group of works by the same author, etc.). Also, so that the key information once set can be applied to other works, the key information setting unit 220 may generate a list of the set key information and store it in the storage unit 21.

[0046] The information extraction unit 221 reads out the e-book information related to each work stored in the e-book information storage unit 211, and executes a process of extracting a section including key information from the work content information such as the image data 2110. That is, the information extraction unit 221 automatically screens the work content information of the e-book, and executes a process of extracting candidate locations that will be the activation positions of the effects from within the e-book. When the setting of the key information is linked to the work ID and included in the e-book information of the target work, the information extraction unit 221 may execute the extraction of the section using the key information read out together with the work content information. Further, the information extraction unit 221 may allow the editor to select one setting from the saved key information settings, and extract the section including the selected key information. When applying the key information uniformly set for all e-books, the information extraction unit 221 may automatically execute the section extraction process in response to the section extraction request by the editor.

[0047] For example, in the case of the image data 2110 shown in FIG. 3, if the dashed line and the character CH are set as key information, the information extraction unit 221 extracts the section C11 including the dashed line CL and the section C36 in which the character CH is drawn. The information extraction unit 221 is a function that automatically (mechanically) identifies a section including key information with the work content information as the input value and the set key information as the reference value. For example, the function of the information extraction unit 221 may be realized by an AI model subjected to machine learning. In this case, the work content information such as the image data 2110 is input to the AI model of the information extraction unit 221, the AI model extracts the section including the specified key information, and outputs the extraction result. The machine learning for constructing such an AI model may be executed by appropriately selecting the training data and the training algorithm according to the data format of the work content information and the type of information to be used as the key information, and the method of machine learning is not particularly limited. When identifying a section including key information from the comic image data 2110, the training data and the training algorithm may be determined so that the character information and / or the image information in the image data can be analyzed.

[0048] The information extraction unit 221 may output a list indicating the sections determined to include the key information, and the processing result (output information) of the information extraction unit 221 is transmitted to the production setting unit 222 described later.

[0049] The production setting unit 222 executes a process of attaching activation position specific information related to the production by tactile stimulation to the section including the key information, and setting the location where the production by tactile stimulation is activated in the target e-book. The activation position specific information is a mark for specifying the activation position of the haptic production when viewing the target e-book, and is embedded in the section corresponding to the activation position in the work content information. For example, in the case of the comic image data 2110 shown in FIG. 3, the activation position specific information is embedded in the section C11 and the section C36, respectively. Also, when setting production information for each activation position, the activation position specific information may be associated with the production information corresponding to the specified activation position, and the production information may also be embedded in the section of the activation position together with the activation position specific information. The format of the activation position specific information is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately determined according to the format of the work content information.

[0050] The production setting unit 222 receives the processing result of the information extraction unit 221, and executes a process of attaching (embedding) the activation position specific information to the section (section including the key information) extracted by the information extraction unit 221. At this time, the activation position specific information may be automatically attached to all the sections extracted by the information extraction unit 221, or the activation position specific information may be attached to the sections narrowed down by the editor from among the extracted sections. In the latter case, for example, the production setting unit 222 may transfer the list of sections including the key information sent from the information extraction unit 221 to the editing terminal, and allow the editor to select the sections for which the haptic production is to be activated from among the sections in the list. The production setting unit 222 may receive the selection by the editor and execute a process of attaching the activation position specific information to the specified section.

[0051] The performance setting unit 222 may execute a process of receiving a setting related to a tactile stimulus by an editor together with the determination of the activation position described above, and determining the content of the tactile stimulus (performance content) to be activated in a section to which activation position specific information is attached. For example, when setting performance information for each activation position, the performance setting unit 222 may receive a designation of performance information for the section from the editor when attaching activation position specific information to a section including key information. The performance information may be determined by allowing the editor to select one performance from the pre-stored performance contents, or the editor may freely customize and determine the performance information. The performance setting unit 222 may execute a process of assisting the designation of performance information by the editor so that the same performance information is set for sections with common key information. Note that when the same haptic performance is activated at all activation positions, the process of setting and designating the performance information as described above may be omitted.

[0052] The distribution control unit 223 executes a process of distributing information related to the electronic book requested by the user 3 (electronic book information) to the user terminal 30. For example, when the user 3 selects a desired electronic book and executes a purchase process, a distribution request for the electronic book by the user 3 is sent to the distribution control unit 223, and the distribution control unit 223 transmits the electronic book information requested by the user 3 to the user terminal 30. The work content information among the electronic book information may be distributed to the user terminal 30 by a download method or may be distributed to the user terminal 30 by a streaming method. When distributing the work content information by the streaming method, the distribution control unit 223 may transmit all the performance information set for the target electronic book to the user terminal 30 when first transmitting data at the start of streaming, or may attach each performance information to the corresponding section and sequentially transmit the performance information along with the transmission of the divided data.

[0053] In addition to the above-described functional units (220 to 223), the control unit 22 of the server 20 may also include a function of searching for an electronic book in response to a request from the user 3, a function of providing a store for allowing the user 3 to purchase an electronic book, a function of executing a purchase process for the electronic book, and the like.

[0054] <Server communication unit> The server communication unit 23 communicates with the user terminal 30 via the network N. The server communication unit 23 also functions as a reception unit that receives various requests, data, etc. from the user terminal 30.

[0055] <User terminal> The user terminal 30 is an information processing device (e.g., smartphone, mobile phone terminal, tablet terminal, dedicated terminal for viewing e-books, other computers, etc.) that can be possessed and used by the user 3. The user terminal 30 can receive the e-book information transmitted from the server 20 and output it via a dedicated viewer app or a browser viewer. As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 30 includes a storage unit 31 that stores various data and programs, a control unit 32 that controls the entire user terminal 30, a tactile device 33 that outputs haptic effects, a display unit 34 that displays e-books for the user 3 to view, and a terminal communication unit 35 that performs information communication with the server 20.

[0056] <Storage unit (user terminal)> The storage unit 31 of the user terminal 30 stores programs for executing various control processes and each function in the control unit 32, as well as various data, etc., and is composed of one or any combination of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), flash memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), other storage, etc. Also, when the user terminal 30 communicates, the storage unit 31 temporarily stores the communication content of the user terminal 30. The storage unit 31 may include an acquired information storage unit 311.

[0057] The acquired information storage unit 311 stores various data such as e-book information sent from the server 20. For example, the acquired information storage unit 311 includes e-book information for which the user 3 has obtained viewing rights through a purchase process or the like. When the work content information is distributed in a streaming manner, the acquired information storage unit 311 may function as a storage area for temporarily storing the data sequentially sent in the streaming manner.

[0058] In addition to the acquired information storage unit 311 described above, the storage unit 31 of the user terminal 30 may have an area for storing setting information such as information regarding payment means and account information.

[0059] <Control Unit (User Terminal)> The control unit 32 has functions necessary for controlling each part of the user terminal 30 such as a display, and each function of the control unit 32 is realized by the CPU (Central Processing Unit) and / or the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) executing a program stored in a predetermined memory. The control unit 32 of the user terminal 30 may include, for example, a viewer 321 and a presentation control unit 322.

[0060] The viewer 321 reads the e-book information stored in the acquired information storage unit 311 and executes a process (playback process) for displaying the e-book on the display unit 34 of the user terminal 30. In addition, the viewer 321 executes various information processes executed when the user 3 views the acquired e-book.

[0061] For example, viewer 321 displays a list of e-books to which user 3 has viewing rights, and accepts a request from user 3 to select and start viewing an e-book. If the work content information of the e-book selected by user 3 has been acquired in the download method, viewer 321 reads the work content information of the target e-book from acquisition information storage unit 311 in response to the viewing request of user 3, and outputs it to display unit 34 which is a display. In the case of the streaming method, after receiving the viewing request, viewer 321 transmits instruction information for distribution to distribution control unit 223 of server 20. In response to receiving the notification of this instruction information, distribution control unit 223 sequentially transmits the work content information of the target e-book to acquisition information storage unit 311, and viewer 321 outputs the acquired work content information to display unit 34.

[0062] When viewing an e-book, viewer 321 executes display control to switch the screen display based on the operation of user 3. For example, in FIG. 5, sections C1 to C3 which are part of image data 2110 are mainly displayed on display unit 34. User 3 can read each section constituting image data 2110 by performing a scroll operation in the vertical direction (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5) on display unit 34. The description of "up and down" in the following explanation means the up and down of the display area with the display direction (scroll direction) as the axis. Viewer 321 controls the display during viewing so as to move the position of image data 2110 with respect to display unit 34 upward or downward in conjunction with the scroll operation by user 3. At this time, viewer 321 may control the feed amount (movement amount) of image data 2110 according to the speed of the scroll operation or the scroll amount. Viewer 321 may display a scroll bar on the viewing screen of the e-book and accept the designation of the viewing position (display position) by user 3 via the scroll bar.

[0063] Also, the viewer 321 may generate reading history information for an e-book that has been viewed once and save it in association with the work content information. The reading history information may include, for example, information indicating the reading completion ratio (the ratio of the number of completed sections to the total number of sections in the work), information indicating the position where viewing was interrupted, and the like. When displaying an e-book requested for viewing by the user 3, the viewer 321 detects whether reading history information is attached to the e-book. If information indicating the interruption position is attached, the viewer 321 reproduces the work content information from the interruption position.

[0064] In addition to the functions described above, the viewer 321 may have other functions such as a function of accepting registration of a review for an e-book read by the user 3, a function of searching for text, pages, chapters, etc. within the work in response to a request from the user 3. Note that, as described above, the viewer 321 may be a function realized by a dedicated viewer application or a function realized by a browser viewer.

[0065] When viewing an e-book, when a section with activation position specifying information attached is displayed on the display unit 34 of the user terminal 30, the effect control unit 322 detects the activation position specifying information and executes a process of activating an effect by tactile stimulation. For example, in the image data 2110 of FIG. 3, the activation position specifying information is embedded in the section C11 including the concentration line CL. As shown in FIG. 6, when the section C11 is expanded into the display area along with the scroll operation of the user 3, the effect control unit 322 detects the activation position specifying information attached to the section C11.

[0066] The performance control unit 322 may monitor at any time whether activation position identification information is attached to the section shown in the display area, and detect the activation position identification information. Further, the performance control unit 322 may set a predetermined detection position in the display area and detect the activation position identification information. For example, in FIG. 6, a virtual dashed line VL perpendicular to the display direction is shown at the center of the display area in the display direction. However, the position of the dashed line VL is set as the detection position, and when the upper end of the section (it may also be the lower end of the section) reaches the detection position, the activation position identification information attached to the section may be read. The detection position is not limited to the above example, and the detection position may be set at the lower end of the display area, and the detection position can be set arbitrarily.

[0067] After detecting the activation position identification information, the performance control unit 322 refers to the performance information associated with the e-book information, and generates instruction information for instructing the execution of a haptic performance to the haptic device 33 described later. In addition, when performance information is incorporated in the section of the activation position, the performance control unit 322 may read the performance information from the section data being displayed simultaneously with the detection of the activation position identification information. When the performance information is stored in the acquisition information storage unit 311, the performance control unit 322 may read the performance information from the acquisition information storage unit 311. The instruction information reflects the specification of the performance content such as the vibration pattern and vibration time included in the performance information. After generating the instruction information, the performance control unit 322 transmits the instruction information to the haptic device 33 to cause the haptic performance to be executed.

[0068] The performance control unit 322 may execute a process of determining whether to activate a haptic performance based on the request of user 3 via the user terminal 30. For example, a button for switching on / off the haptic performance may be provided on the display screen during browsing, or on the setting screen related to the browsing of e-books, etc. The performance control unit 322 may receive the input operation of user 3 on such a button and receive a selection regarding whether user 3 permits the execution of the haptic performance. The performance control unit 322 may recognize whether the activation of the haptic performance is permitted by user 3 (whether the button related to the haptic performance is set to on) at any arbitrary timing such as at the start of browsing an e-book, at the detection of the activation position specifying information, or at the loading of the performance information, etc. If the activation of the haptic performance is permitted, the performance control unit 322 may execute the generation process of the instruction information.

[0069] In the above description, the viewer 321 and the performance control unit 322 have been described individually, but both the viewer 321 and the performance control unit 322 may be functions realized by one software (application).

[0070] <Tactile device> The tactile device 33 is a device (such as an eccentric motor, a linear vibrator, a piezo element, etc.) mounted on the user terminal 30 and giving tactile feedback to user 3. The tactile device 33 receives the instruction information from the performance control unit 322 and executes a haptic performance corresponding to the performance content reflected in the instruction information. The type and specifications, etc. of the tactile device 33 that executes the haptic performance are not particularly limited.

[0071] <Display unit> The display unit 34 is a display on which an e-book is displayed during the browsing process. The display unit 34 as a display may be a touch panel capable of receiving an input operation of user 3 such as a scroll operation by contact with the display surface.

[0072] <Terminal communication unit> The terminal communication unit 35 is connected to the server communication unit 23 of the server 20 via the network N, and transmits various operation information such as an electronic book distribution request by the user 3 to the server 20.

[0073] Hereinafter, an example of the process of setting haptic effects will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 7.

[0074] First, in step S101, the key information setting unit 220 receives the designation of at least one key information by the editor and determines at least one key information for the electronic book. After setting the key information, in step S102, the information extraction unit 221 reads the electronic book information of the work for which the effect is to be set. Then, the information extraction unit 221 extracts the section including the key information from the work content information (step S103).

[0075] In step S104, the effect setting unit 222 attaches the activation position specifying information to the section including the key information and executes a process of setting the location where the haptic effect is to be activated in the target work. The effect setting unit 222 may attach the activation position specifying information to each section extracted by the information extraction unit 221, or may present a list of the sections extracted by the information extraction unit 221 to the editor and allow the editor to select whether to set the haptic effect for each section. In the latter case, the effect setting unit 222 receives the selection by the editor and executes a process of attaching the activation position specifying information to the selected section.

[0076] As described above, by automatically extracting candidates for the locations where the haptic effect is to be activated and setting the haptic effect, the efficiency of the electronic book editing work can be improved. Also, by setting key information corresponding to important scenes in the work, etc., the enhancing effect by the haptic effect can be further enhanced.

[0077] Note that Fig. 7 shows a flowchart in which the functions of the key information setting unit 220 are reflected. However, the key information setting unit 220 is an optional function, and the pre-determined key information may be uniformly applied to all works for which the effects are set. By including the functions of the key information setting unit 220 in the information processing system 10, key information can be set for each e-book, and the haptic effects can be flexibly set according to the category or content of the e-book, etc.

[0078] Also, in step S104 shown in Fig. 7, the effect setting unit 222 may execute a process of receiving a setting related to the tactile stimulus by the editor together with the determination of the activation position, and determining the content of the tactile stimulus (effect content) to be activated in the section to which the activation position specific information is attached. By setting the content of the tactile stimulus for each activation position, a rich variety of haptic effects can be provided according to the scene, and the interest of user 3 can be further enhanced. Note that the extraction of candidate locations is executed by the automatic screening of the information extraction unit 221, while for the determination of the activation position of the effect and / or the determination of the effect content, the effect setting unit 222 may receive and execute a manual operation by the editor, or may execute it automatically. By such a combination of the functions of the information extraction unit 221 and the effect setting unit 222, it is possible to achieve a balance between the efficiency of the editing work related to the effects and the flexibility and accuracy of the settings.

[0079] Hereinafter, an example of the activation process of the haptic effect will be described based on the flowchart shown in Fig. 8.

[0080] When the viewing of an e - book starts, the viewer 321 causes the work content information to be displayed on the display unit 34 in response to the viewing operation (e.g., scroll operation) of user 3 (step S201). The effect control unit 322 determines whether activation position identification information is attached to the section represented within the display area (step S202). In this step S202, if the activation position identification information is attached to the section presented on the display unit 34, the process proceeds to step S203. In step S203, the effect control unit 322 refers to the effect information corresponding to the section detected in step S202, generates instruction information for executing a haptic effect, and transmits it to the tactile device 33. Then, in step S204, the tactile device 33 that has received the instruction information executes the haptic effect.

[0081] In the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, in the above - described flow, when viewing an e - book, an effect by tactile stimulation is activated in a specific scene (a scene including key information) within the e - book. Due to the synergistic effect of vision and touch realized by the haptic effect, it can give the user an interest that cannot be experienced when viewing a printed book on paper media, and improve the user's interest in the provision of e - books. Note that the information processing system 10 of this embodiment is suitable for distributing e - books of comics (especially vertically - scrolled comics), but the e - books to which the information processing system 10 is applied are not limited to comics.

[0082] The above - described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and are not for limiting the interpretation of the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from its gist, and it goes without saying that equivalents of the present invention are included in the present invention.

[0083] (Modification example) For example, in the above-described embodiment, the setting process and activation process of haptic effects have been described. However, the effects handled by the information processing system 10 are not limited to haptic effects only. Instead of, or together with, haptic effects, they may be applied to effects by auditory effects and / or effects by visual effects. When applying the information processing system 10 to effects by auditory effects and / or effects by visual effects, the description of "haptic effects (effects by tactile stimuli)" in the description of the above-described embodiment should be read as "effects by auditory effects" and / or "effects by visual effects", and the setting process and activation process of various effects may be realized.

[0084] For example, the information extraction unit 221 may extract candidates for locations where effects by auditory effects are activated and / or candidates for locations where effects by visual effects are activated based on key information. When setting multiple types of effects such as setting both haptic effects and effects by auditory effects, key information may be set for each type of effect (for example, setting key information for haptic effects and key information for effects by auditory effects). Further, the information extraction unit 221 may output a list of sections extracted for each type of effect (for example, outputting a list of candidate sections for haptic effects and a list of candidate sections for effects by auditory effects separately). The effect setting unit 222 may execute a process of determining the activation positions of various effects automatically or in response to a manual operation based on the list of sections extracted by the information extraction unit 221, and attaching activation position specifying information corresponding to various effects to the determined sections. In this case, activation position specifying information regarding a plurality of effects may be attached to one section.

[0085] Note that the effect information only needs to include information necessary for activating various effects. For example, in the case of effects by auditory effects, information such as sound data to be played, the section for generating the sound data, and the length may be included in the effect information. In the case of effects by visual effects, information such as video data to be played, image data for effects, and the duration of the effects may be included in the effect information.

[0086] When activating the production by auditory effects and / or visual effects, the production control unit 322 may execute the process of detecting the activation position specifying information and activating the production by tactile stimulation when a section with the activation position specifying information is displayed, in the same manner as in the case of haptic production. In the case of auditory effect production, the production control unit 322 may transmit the instruction information for auditory effect production to the playback device such as the speaker of the user terminal 30 or its control unit. In the case of visual effect production, the production control unit 322 may transmit the instruction information for visual effect production to the display control unit of the user terminal 30.

[0087] This disclosure has the following configuration. (Item 1) A storage unit that stores e-book information, An information extraction unit that extracts a section including predetermined key information from among the information regarding the content of the e-book included in the e-book information, An effect setting unit that attaches activation position specifying information related to the effect by tactile stimulation to the section including the key information and sets the location in the e-book where the effect is activated, An information processing system including an effect control unit that, when the section with the activation position specifying information is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal, detects the activation position specifying information and executes a process of activating the effect by the tactile stimulation. (Item 2) The information processing system according to Item 1, further including a key information setting unit that receives the designation of at least one of the key information by an editor and determines at least one of the key information for the e-book. (Item 3) The information processing system according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the effect setting unit receives the setting regarding the tactile stimulation by an editor and determines the content of the tactile stimulation to be activated in the section to which the activation position specifying information is attached. (Item 4) The information processing system according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the key information is information related to at least one type selected from among color information, character information, line drawing information, drawing information, and section configuration information. (Item 5) The information processing system according to item 1 or 2, wherein the presentation control unit determines whether to activate the presentation by the tactile stimulus based on a user's request via the user terminal. (Item 6) The electronic book is a comic, The information processing system according to item 1 or 2, wherein the electronic book information includes image data that is continuously displayed on the display unit based on a user's scrolling operation. (Item 7) A process of reading out electronic book information stored in a storage unit and extracting a section including predetermined key information from information regarding the content of the electronic book included in the electronic book information; A process of attaching activation position specifying information related to a presentation by tactile stimulus to the section including the key information and setting a location where the presentation is activated in the electronic book; A program that causes a computer to execute a process of detecting the activation position specifying information and activating the presentation by the tactile stimulus when the section with the activation position specifying information attached is displayed on a display unit of a user terminal. (Item 8) Reading out electronic book information stored in a storage unit and extracting a section including predetermined key information from information regarding the content of the electronic book included in the electronic book information; Attaching activation position specifying information related to a presentation by tactile stimulus to the section including the key information and setting a location where the presentation is activated in the electronic book; An information processing method in which a computer executes detecting the activation position specifying information and activating the presentation by the tactile stimulus when the section with the activation position specifying information attached is displayed on a display unit of a user terminal.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0088] 1... Operator 3... User 10... Information processing system 20... Server 30... User terminal

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores e - book information; An information extraction unit that extracts a section including predetermined key information from among the information related to the content of the e - book included in the e - book information; An effect setting unit that attaches activation position specifying information related to an effect by tactile stimulation to the section including the key information and sets a location in the e - book where the effect is activated; An effect control unit that, when the section with the activation position specifying information attached is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal, detects the activation position specifying information and executes a process of activating the effect by tactile stimulation. An information processing system comprising the above components.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a key information setting unit that receives a designation of at least one of the key information by an editor and determines at least one of the key information for the e - book.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the effect setting unit receives a setting related to the tactile stimulation by an editor and determines the content of the tactile stimulation to be activated in the section to which the activation position specifying information is attached.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the key information is information related to at least one selected from among color information, character information, underlining information, drawing information, and section configuration information.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the effect control unit determines whether to activate the effect by tactile stimulation based on a user's request via the user terminal.

6. The e - book is a comic, The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the e - book information includes image data that is continuously displayed on the display unit based on a user's scroll operation.

7. A program for causing a computer to execute a process of reading out e - book information stored in a storage unit and extracting a section including predetermined key information from among the information related to the content of the e - book included in the e - book information; A process of attaching activation position specifying information related to an effect by tactile stimulation to the section including the key information and setting a location in the e - book where the effect is activated; A process of detecting the activation position specifying information and activating the effect by tactile stimulation when the section with the activation position specifying information attached is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal.

8. Reading out the e-book information stored in the memory unit and extracting a section including predetermined key information from among the information regarding the content of the e-book included in the e-book information; Attaching activation position specifying information related to the effect by tactile stimulation to the section including the key information and setting a location for activating the effect in the e-book; When the section with the activation position specifying information attached thereto is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal, detecting the activation position specifying information and activating the effect by tactile stimulation. An information processing method executed by a computer.

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