Information processing device

Abstract

To provide an information processing device configured to improve a technique of notifying a user of information on a vehicle product.SOLUTION: An information processing device 20 includes a control unit 23. The control unit 23 acquires information on one or more products, determines whether or not the product satisfies a first condition based on initial specifications of a vehicle owned by the user, determines whether or not the product satisfies a second condition based on a specification change history of the vehicle, determines whether or not the product satisfies a third condition based on individual information of the user, specifies each of products satisfying all of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition as target products, and notifies the user of information on the specified target products.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for notifying a user of information on vehicle products has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle manufacturing support system that, when receiving from a user a designation of a vehicle body and a designation of the charging performance of a used battery, provides the user with information indicating a combination of the vehicle body and the used battery corresponding to the designation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, for vehicle products, for example, the vehicle models to which they can be attached are predetermined, and a user purchases a product corresponding to the vehicle model of the vehicle he / she owns. However, even a product corresponding to the vehicle model may not be attachable, for example, due to interference with another product previously attached to the vehicle by the user. Thus, when the specifications of the vehicle have been changed from the initial specifications, even if the user purchases a product corresponding to the vehicle model of the vehicle, it may not actually be attachable, and the user may feel dissatisfied. Also, in order to promote the sale of vehicle products, it is generally practiced to notify users of information on vehicle products. However, for example, if information on vehicle products that the user has previously viewed or purchased is notified, it may cause annoyance to the user and the likelihood of the notification being ignored may also increase. Therefore, there has been room for improvement in the technique of notifying users of information on vehicle products.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve a technique for notifying a user of information on vehicle products.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing apparatus including a control unit, wherein the control unit acquires information on one or more products, determines whether the product satisfies a first condition based on the initial specifications of the vehicle owned by the user, determines whether the product satisfies a second condition based on the specification change history of the vehicle, determines whether the product satisfies a third condition based on the individual information of the user, identifies each product that satisfies all of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition as a target product, and notifies the user of the information on the identified target product.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the technique for notifying a user of information on vehicle products is improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0010] (Overview of Embodiment) With reference to FIG. 1, an overview of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The system 1 includes one or more terminal devices 10 and an information processing device 20. Each terminal device 10 and the information processing device 20 can communicate with each other via a network 30 such as the Internet.

[0011] The terminal device 10 is a computer such as a PC (Personal Computer), a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. In the present embodiment, the terminal device 10 is used, for example, by a user who owns a vehicle. The information processing device 20 includes one or a plurality of computers capable of communicating with each other.

[0012] In the present embodiment, the information processing device 20 provides an EC site where a user can purchase vehicle products (hereinafter also simply referred to as "products"). The user creates a user account in advance using the terminal device 10 and logs in to the EC site after undergoing a predetermined user authentication. After logging in, the user can view product information or purchase products by electronic payment.

[0013] First, an overview of the present embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. The information processing device 20 according to the present embodiment acquires information on one or more products. The information processing device 20 determines whether a product satisfies a first condition based on the initial specifications of the vehicle owned by the user. The information processing device 20 determines whether a product satisfies a second condition based on the specification change history of the vehicle. The information processing device 20 determines whether a product satisfies a third condition based on the individual information of the user. The information processing device 20 identifies each product that satisfies all of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition as a target product. Then, the information processing device 20 notifies the user of the information on the identified target product.

[0014] According to this embodiment, a product determined to satisfy the first to third conditions based on the initial specifications and specification change history of the vehicle owned by the user, as well as the user's personal information, is specified as the target product. By appropriately defining the first to third conditions, for example, a product that can be attached to both the vehicle in the initial specifications and the vehicle after the specification change, and that the user has not viewed the product information on the EC site, is specified as the target product, and the information on the target product is notified to the user. According to such a configuration, for example, the probability that information on a product that cannot be attached to the vehicle or a product that the user has already viewed the product information is notified to the user is reduced, and the technology for notifying the user of information on vehicle products is improved.

[0015] Next, each component of the system 1 will be described in detail.

[0016] (Configuration of the vehicle) With reference to FIG. 2, each component included in the terminal device 10 will be described. The terminal device 10 includes a communication unit 11, an input unit 12, an output unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a control unit 15.

[0017] The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces for connecting to the network 30. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation), a wired LAN (Local Area Network) standard, or a wireless LAN standard, but is not limited thereto and may correspond to any communication standard.

[0018] The input unit 12 includes one or more input devices for detecting input operations by the user. The input device is, for example, a physical key, a capacitance key, a mouse, a touch panel, a touch screen provided integrally with a display, a camera, or a microphone, etc., but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the input unit 12 may include an interface for connecting an external input device.

[0019] The output unit 13 includes one or more output devices that output information. The output device is, for example, a display that outputs information as video, or a speaker that outputs information as sound, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the output unit 13 may include an interface for connecting an external output device.

[0020] The storage unit 14 includes one or more memories. The memory is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, or an optical memory, but is not limited thereto. Each memory included in the storage unit 14 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 14 stores any information used for the operation of the terminal device 10. For example, the storage unit 14 may store a system program, an application program, and the like.

[0021] The control unit 15 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing, but is not limited thereto. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited thereto. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), but is not limited thereto. The control unit 15 controls the operation of the entire terminal device 10.

[0022] (Configuration of the information processing device) As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23.

[0023] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces for connecting to the network 30. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a wired LAN or a wireless LAN standard, but is not limited thereto and may correspond to any communication standard.

[0024] The storage unit 22 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 22 may function as, for example, a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores any information used for the operation of the information processing apparatus 20. For example, the storage unit 22 may store a system program, an application program, embedded software, a database, and the like.

[0025] In the present embodiment, the storage unit 22 stores a product database. The information stored in the product database may be input by, for example, an operator. In the product database, for each product sold on the EC site, the conditions of the vehicle to which the product can be attached (hereinafter also referred to as attachment conditions) are stored. Specifically, the attachment conditions may include conditions that limit, for example, the vehicle type, grade, or model year. The attachment conditions may also include conditions such as whether a specific other product is attached or not attached to the vehicle, or whether a specific process is performed or not performed on the vehicle.

[0026] The storage unit 22 also stores user information for each user who has acquired a user account on the EC site. As shown in FIG. 4, the user information may include account information, individual information, and vehicle information. The individual information and the vehicle information are stored in association with the account information.

[0027] The "account information" includes, for example, the user's ID and password, etc., but is not limited thereto, and may include any information related to the user account. For example, the account information may further include the user's email address, address, and electronic payment information, etc.

[0028] "Individual information" includes, but is not limited to, for example, event logs of user accounts, and may include any information unique to a user who uses an e-commerce site. An event log is information that records various events that have occurred in chronological order for a user account of a user who uses an e-commerce site. Events include, but are not limited to, for example, vehicle registration, viewing of product information, and purchase of products. In the present embodiment, from the event log, for example, the vehicle registration date, the viewing date and time of each product information, and the product purchase history can be specified.

[0029] "Vehicle information" includes any information related to a vehicle owned by a user. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, vehicle information includes vehicle identification information, initial specifications, and a specification change history.

[0030] "Vehicle identification information" is information that uniquely identifies a vehicle.

[0031] "Initial specifications" are information indicating the specifications of a vehicle at the time of manufacture or sale. In the present embodiment, "initial specifications" indicate, but are not limited to, for example, vehicle type, grade, model year, and installed products, and may indicate any specifications of the vehicle. Note that the vehicle identification information and the initial specifications may be stored when the user performs vehicle registration. For example, after the user logs in to the e-commerce site using the terminal device 10, the user performs vehicle registration by inputting information about the vehicle he / she owns into the terminal device 10.

[0032] The "specification change history" is information that records the history of specification changes in chronological order after the sale of the vehicle. In this embodiment, "specification change" includes, for example, products installed after the sale of the vehicle, products removed, and processing performed on the vehicle, but is not limited thereto. From the specification change history, it is possible to identify the current specifications of the user's vehicle. Note that the specification change history may be stored when the user or the dealer changes the specifications of the vehicle. For example, after the user logs in to the EC site using the terminal device 10, the user may input the details of the specification changes made to the vehicle he / she owns into the terminal device 10, and the specification change history may be accumulated. Alternatively, the dealer may input the details of the specification changes made to the user's vehicle into a dedicated terminal, and the specification change history may be accumulated.

[0033] Note that when the user owns a plurality of vehicles, vehicle registration may be performed for each vehicle. In such a case, the vehicle information includes the vehicle identification information, the initial specifications, and the specification change history described above for each registered vehicle.

[0034] The control unit 23 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 23 controls the operation of the entire information processing device 20.

[0035] (Operation of the information processing device) With reference to FIG. 6, the operation of the information processing device 20 will be described.

[0036] S100: The control unit 23 of the information processing device 20 acquires information on one or more products.

[0037] Specifically, the control unit 23 acquires information on one or more products from the product database stored in the storage unit 22. Here, the control unit 23 may acquire information on one or more products when information on one or more products is newly registered in the product database or when information on one or more products already registered in the product database is changed. Alternatively, the control unit 23 may acquire information on one or more products selected by the operator from among a plurality of products already registered in the product database. The acquired product information includes the above-described attachment conditions (i.e., conditions of the vehicle to which the product can be attached).

[0038] When information on a plurality of products is acquired in S100, the processes of S101 to S103 described below are performed for each of the plurality of products.

[0039] S101: The control unit 23 determines whether the product satisfies the first condition based on the initial specifications of the vehicle owned by the user. If it is determined that the product satisfies the first condition (S101-Yes), the process proceeds to S102. On the other hand, if it is determined that the product does not satisfy the first condition (S101-No), the process ends.

[0040] The "first condition" is the condition that the product can be attached to the vehicle in the initial specifications. Specifically, the control unit 23 refers to the initial specifications (e.g., vehicle type, grade, or model year, etc.) included in the vehicle information stored in the storage unit 22, and determines that the product satisfies the first condition if the vehicle in the initial specifications satisfies the attachment conditions of the product.

[0041] S102: The control unit 23 determines whether the product satisfies the second condition based on the vehicle specification change history. If it is determined that the product satisfies the second condition (S102-Yes), the process proceeds to S103. On the other hand, if it is determined that the product does not satisfy the second condition (S102-No), the process ends.

[0042] The "second condition" is the condition that the product can be attached to the vehicle in the current specification identified from the specification change history. Specifically, the control unit 23 refers to the specification change history (for example, products attached after the vehicle is sold, products removed, and processing performed on the vehicle, etc.) included in the vehicle information stored in the storage unit 22, and identifies the current specification of the vehicle. Then, when the vehicle in the current specification satisfies the attachment condition of the product, the control unit 23 determines that the product satisfies the second condition.

[0043] S103: The control unit 23 determines whether the product satisfies the third condition based on the user's individual information. If it is determined that the product satisfies the third condition (S103 - Yes), the process proceeds to S104. On the other hand, if it is determined that the product does not satisfy the third condition (S103 - No), the process ends.

[0044] The "third condition" may be, for example, the condition that the product information in the product database corresponds to a product whose product information has been added or changed after the vehicle registration date. In such a case, the control unit 23 identifies the vehicle registration date from the user's individual information (event log), and when the product information in the product database has been added or changed after the vehicle registration date, determines that the product satisfies the third condition.

[0045] Also, the "third condition" may be, for example, the condition that the product information has not been viewed by the user on the EC site. In such a case, the control unit 23 identifies whether the product information has been viewed from the user's individual information (event log), and when the product information has not been viewed, determines that the product satisfies the third condition.

[0046] S104: The control unit 23 identifies each product that satisfies all of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition as the target product.

[0047] S105: The control unit 23 notifies the user of the information of the identified target product. Then, the process ends.

[0048] Specifically, the control unit 23 notifies the user by transmitting the information of the specified target product to the user's terminal device 10. The information of the target product to be notified may include, for example, the product information of the target product, or may include the URL of the web page on which the product information of the target product is described on the EC site. Note that the information notification may be performed, for example, by sending an email, or may be performed by push notification via a dedicated application installed on the terminal device 10.

[0049] In addition, when a plurality of target products are specified in S104, the control unit 23 may aggregate the information of the plurality of target products and notify the user. In other words, the control unit 23 may transmit a single notification including the information of the plurality of target products to the user's terminal device 10. According to such a configuration, for example, compared with an embodiment in which a plurality of notifications corresponding to a plurality of target products are transmitted to the terminal device 10, the number of notifications is reduced, so the probability that the user feels annoyed is reduced.

[0050] Further, when the user owns a plurality of vehicles and vehicle registration has been performed for each vehicle, the control unit 23 may specify target products for each vehicle and aggregate the information of all the target products specified for the plurality of vehicles and notify the user. According to such a configuration, for example, compared with an embodiment in which a plurality of notifications corresponding to each of the plurality of vehicles are transmitted to the terminal device 10, the number of notifications is reduced, so the probability that the user feels annoyed is reduced.

[0051] As described above, the information processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment acquires the information of one or more products. The information processing apparatus 20 determines whether a product satisfies a first condition based on the initial specifications of the vehicle owned by the user. The information processing apparatus 20 determines whether a product satisfies a second condition based on the specification change history of the vehicle. The information processing apparatus 20 determines whether a product satisfies a third condition based on the individual information of the user. The information processing apparatus 20 specifies each product that satisfies all of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition as a target product. Then, the information processing apparatus 20 notifies the user of the information of the specified target product.

[0052] According to such a configuration, products that are determined to satisfy the first to third conditions based on the initial specifications and specification change history of the vehicle owned by the user and the user's individual information are specified as target products. By appropriately setting the first to third conditions, for example, products that can be attached to both the vehicle in the initial specifications and the vehicle after the specification change and that the user has not viewed the product information on the EC site are specified as target products, and information on the target products is notified to the user. According to such a configuration, for example, the technology for notifying the user of information on vehicle products is improved in that the probability that information on products that cannot be attached to the vehicle or products that the user has already viewed the product information is notified to the user is reduced.

[0053] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions and the like included in each component or each step can be rearranged so as not to be logically contradictory, and a plurality of components or steps can be combined into one or divided.

[0054] For example, in the above-described embodiment, an embodiment in which the configuration and operation of the information processing apparatus 20 are distributed to a plurality of computers capable of communicating with each other is also possible.

[0055] Also, for example, the order of S101 to S103 described above may be changed. Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, for products that do not satisfy the first condition, for example, the determination of the second condition (and the third condition) is not performed, but an embodiment in which the determination is performed for all of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition is also possible.

[0056] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 23 of the information processing apparatus 20 may determine the timing to notify the user of the information on the target product based on the product purchase history of the user specified from the user's personal information (event log). Specifically, the control unit 23 specifies the time period (for example, 19:00 to 20:00, etc.) when the purchase frequency of the product by the user is the highest based on the product purchase history of the user. Then, the control unit 23 notifies the user of the information on the target product during the specified time period. According to such a configuration, the probability that the user purchases the target product can be improved.

[0057] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 23 may notify the information on the target product up to a predetermined upper limit number of times (for example, once) for each predetermined period (for example, every day). According to such a configuration, compared with an embodiment in which a plurality of notifications are transmitted to the terminal device 10 within a predetermined period, the number of notifications is reduced, so the probability that the user feels bothered is reduced.

[0058] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 23 acquires status information indicating the production status or inventory status of the target product, the availability status of the installer (for example, dealer) of the target product, or both, and determines the timing to notify the user of the information on the target product based on the status information. Specifically, the control unit 23 may inquire about the production status or inventory status of the target product from, for example, the manufacturer or the sales store of the target product. Further, the control unit 23 may inquire about the availability status of the installer of the target product from the installer. Then, the control unit 23 notifies the user of the information on the target product when the production of the target product is not delayed or there is remaining inventory of the target product, and / or there is an availability in the schedule of the installer. According to such a configuration, the probability that the time from when the user who has received the notification purchases the target product (for example, purchases by electronic payment on an EC site) until the target product is actually installed on the vehicle becomes unnecessarily long is reduced.

[0059] In addition, for example, an embodiment in which a general-purpose computer functions as the information processing apparatus 20 according to the above-described embodiment is also possible. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the information processing apparatus 20 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of a general-purpose computer, and the program is read out and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program.

Explanation of Signs

[0060] 1 System 10 Terminal Device 11 Communication Unit 12 Input Unit 13 Output Unit 14 Storage Unit 15 Control Unit 20 Information Processing Apparatus 21 Communication Unit 22 Storage Unit 23 Control Unit 30 Network

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus including a control unit, wherein the control unit acquires information on one or more products, determines whether each product satisfies a first condition based on the initial specifications of a vehicle owned by a user, determines whether each product satisfies a second condition based on a specification change history of the vehicle, determines whether each product satisfies a third condition based on the individual information of the user, identifies each product that satisfies all of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition as a target product, and notifies the user of information on the identified target product.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first condition is a condition that the product is attachable to the vehicle in the initial specifications, the second condition is a condition that the product is attachable to the vehicle in the latest specifications identified from the specification change history, and the third condition is a condition that product information of the product has not been viewed by the user.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the user owns a plurality of vehicles, the control unit identifies target products for each vehicle, aggregates information on all of the target products identified for the plurality of vehicles, and notifies the user thereof.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit determines a timing for notifying the user of information on the target product based on a product purchase history of the user identified from the individual information.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit further acquires status information indicating a production status or an inventory status of the target product, an availability status of an installer of the target product, or both, and determines a timing for notifying the user of information on the target product based on the status information.

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