Electronic content provision system

Abstract

To provide an electronic content provision system that allows users belonging to a group to freely use electronic contents while ensuring a royalty generation opportunity for a distributor.SOLUTION: Usage screen provision processing by an electronic content provision system controls electronic contents associated with a group to a usable state where the electronic contents can be used by users from when a usage start condition is met in response to collection of a specified consideration from the group until when a usage end condition is met, grants, for one of the electronic contents in the usable state, a royalty-based consideration to a distributor of the electronic contents from the specified consideration, in response to receiving an initial usage operation being a usage operation from a user who belongs to the group but has not been granted a usage right for the electronic content, grants the usage right for the electronic content to the user, and allows the user to use the electronic content for which the usage right has been granted to the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic content providing system.

Background Art

[0002] In a company, there may be a library corner for employees to use books (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). However, since it is a shared property within the company, a return deadline is set. Also, even if it is a book necessary to solve an urgent issue, if another employee has borrowed it, one cannot borrow it until it is one's turn. And since it is a shared property in paper form, one cannot naturally write notes freely, and there are limitations in the types of books owned by the company from the perspectives of securing space and management. Therefore, it is also conceivable to use an existing e-book service adopted in a public library or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, if existing e-book services are used without restrictions, the opportunities for generating royalties for the sellers (such as authors and publishers) will decrease compared to the case where royalties are generated each time a book is purchased. As a countermeasure, for example, restrictions are imposed so as to have less impact on the opportunities for generating royalties in the market, such as by setting limits on the annual number of lending times, lending periods, and the number of books that can be lent out simultaneously (see, for example, Patent Document 1). If such restrictions as the number of use times are imposed on the books used by employees, it will become difficult for employees to freely use the books, and the inconvenience will not be eliminated.

[0006] The present invention has been conceived in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic content providing system capable of securing opportunities for generating royalties for the seller while allowing users belonging to a group to freely use electronic content.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] (1) An electronic content providing system according to an aspect of the present invention is an electronic content providing system including a computer (such as server 100, group administrator terminal 200, user terminal 300) for making electronic content (such as an e-book with a group-related content ID in FIG. 5) associated with a group (such as an organization such as a company or an educational institution) among a plurality of electronic contents sold by a seller (such as a publisher or an author) of the electronic content available to users (such as employees or students) belonging to the group, group electronic content management means (such as group information 122, group management unit 133) for associating and managing electronic content for each group, After the usage start condition is satisfied in response to the collection of a predetermined consideration from the group (for example, the consideration for using the electronic content providing system 1, the shelf registration fee, etc.), until the usage end condition is satisfied (for example, from when the contract status becomes valid until the contract becomes invalid), usage status control means (for example, the group management unit 133, the user management unit 134, the usage right management unit 135, etc.) that controls the electronic content associated with the group to a usable state where the user can use it, and In the usable state, in response to receiving a first usage operation (for example, an operation to view an e-book for which the usage right has not yet been granted (a selection operation on the usage operation icon R), an operation to confirm the grant of the usage right such as the operation to enable the license in FIG. 15, a trial reading operation of a book, etc. (refer to <Trial usage of electronic content for which the usage right has not been granted> in the modification example)) that is a usage operation from a user belonging to the group and for which the usage right of the electronic content associated with the group has not been granted, a first process for granting a consideration corresponding to the royalty from the predetermined consideration to the seller of the electronic content (for example, a process of recording the log of the electronic content for which the first usage operation occurred in the first usage log in FIG. 8 stored as the first usage log data 124. Step S509 in FIG. 20), and a second process for granting the usage right of the electronic content to the user (for example, a process of adding the content ID to the content ID of the used content for each user in the user data table for each user in FIG. 6 stored as the user information 123, step S509 in FIG. 20, FIG. 15), and granting process means (for example, the usage right management unit 135) that performs the processes, and Usage means (for example, the data transmission / reception unit 131, the user management unit 134, the input unit 330, the display control unit 353, etc.) that performs a process (for example, allowing the user to view an e-book based on a selection operation by the user on the Book ReaderTB5 or the usage operation icon R, etc.) to allow the user to use the electronic content for which the usage right has been granted to the user.

[0008] According to such a configuration, in response to the first use by a user belonging to a group, while enabling the use of electronic content desired by the user, it is possible to secure an opportunity for generating royalties to the seller of the electronic content with the consideration borne by the group.

[0009] (2) In the above (1), the usage state control means controls the usage right for each user granted in response to receiving the first use operation by the granting processing means to be available to the user without restriction (for example, without restrictions such as the number of uses, viewing period, number of simultaneous viewers, etc.) until the usage end condition is satisfied or the user no longer belongs to the group.

[0010] According to such a configuration, since the user can basically use the electronic content for which the usage right has been granted to the user in response to the first use operation without restriction, the convenience for the user is improved.

[0011] (3) In the above (1), the electronic content providing system includes usage status management means (for example, usage status data 125, usage status management unit 136, usage status management unit 356) for managing the usage status of electronic content for each user, and usage status providing means (for example, data transmission / reception unit 131, display control unit 353, etc.) capable of providing the usage status for each user (for example, the information in the usage status table in FIG. 9) managed by the usage status management means to other users belonging to the same group as the user (for example, based on the usage status table in FIG. 9, the usage status of each electronic content on the group bookshelf search screen in FIG. 10(A), the usage status tabs RS1 to RS3 on the electronic content information screen in FIG. 13, the bookshelf and usage status tabs RS1 to RS3 on the member screen in FIG. 12(A) of other belonging users within the belonging group in FIG. 5, etc. are displayed on the user screen).

[0012] According to such a configuration, since the usage status of the user can be shared among users belonging to the same group, the user can consider the electronic content to be used based on the usage status of other users and then use it.

[0013] (4) In the above (3), the usage status management means In response to receiving the first use operation from the user, execute a process of updating the usage status of the user being managed by associating the information that the usage status of the electronic content for which the first use operation was received is in use (for example, steps S512 to S513 in FIG. 20, FIG. 15(D)).

[0014] According to such a configuration, since the usage status is updated in response to receiving the first use operation, the convenience for the user is improved.

[0015] (5) In the above (3), the usage status providing means By displaying a usage status screen on the user terminal owned by the user that enables identification of the usage status of other users, it is possible to confirm the usage status of other users (for example, displaying the bookshelf and usage status tabs RS1 to RS3 of the member screen in FIG. 12(A) of other member users within the belonging group in FIG. 5 on the user screen), Based on an operation on the usage status screen, a usage operation unit (for example, the usage operation icon R displayed in FIG. 12(A), selecting the usage operation icon R in FIG. 13 after selecting a book displayed in FIG. 12(A) etc., steps S306, S307 in FIG. 18) for the user to use the electronic content specified from the usage status managed by the usage status management means can be displayed, When there is an operation from the user on the usage operation unit (for example, the usage operation icon R), and when the operation is the first usage operation, the granting processing means performs the first processing and the second processing (for example, step S509 in FIG. 20). When the operation is not the first usage operation, the usage means performs a process for allowing the user to use the electronic content (for example, step S514 when step S501 in FIG. 20 is YES).

[0016] According to such a configuration, the user can use the electronic content from the usage status screen. This facilitates the user to start using the electronic content based on the information obtained from the usage status screen, and improves the convenience for the user.

[0017] (6) In the above (3), the usage status providing means In the user terminal owned by the user, performs a process for displaying a usage status setting unit that can set, for each electronic content, settings related to the usage status of the user according to the user operation (for example, displaying the usage status setting icon ST on the electronic content information screen in FIG. 13). The usage status management means performs a process for updating the usage status of the user in response to an operation on the usage status setting unit from the user (for example, steps S208, S209 in FIG. 17, FIG. 14). Among the plurality of electronic contents, the electronic contents for which settings related to the usage status can be set by the user operation may include electronic contents for which the user has no usage right in addition to the electronic contents for which the user has been granted the usage right (for example, in addition to the electronic contents for which the user has been granted the usage right in FIG. 6, the electronic contents related to the belonging group in FIG. 5, or the electronic contents that are not related to the belonging group but are stored as content data 121 and can be searched on the store book search screen in FIG. 10(B)).

[0018] According to such a configuration, regardless of whether the user is granted the right to use or not, the user can set the desired usage status for the electronic content, so that more information about the electronic content in the group can be shared with other users.

[0019] (7) In the above (1), the predetermined consideration collected from the group is a consideration corresponding to the number of licenses that can grant the right to use (for example, the number of licenses that can grant the right to use in step S509 by being activated in steps S503 to S508 of FIG. 20), The granting processing means can grant the right to use up to the number of licenses associated with the group regardless of the type of electronic content targeted by the first use operation (for example, which electronic content is associated with the belonging group) (for example, grant up to the remaining number of shared licenses in FIG. 5 or personal licenses in FIG. 6, the number of licenses 13 in steps S503 and S504 of FIG. 20).

[0020] According to such a configuration, regardless of the type of electronic content, the right to use is granted up to the number of licenses, so the degree of freedom for the user when selecting the electronic content for the first use is improved.

[0021] (8) In the above (7), the license associated with the group is a license shared among the users belonging to the group (for example, the remaining number of shared licenses in FIG. 5, the shared license with the number of licenses 13).

[0022] According to such a configuration, the management of licenses in the server or group becomes easy.

[0023] (9) In the above (7), the number of licenses that can grant the right to use is the number of licenses assigned to each user belonging to the group (for example, the remaining number of personal licenses in FIG. 6, the personal license with the number of licenses 13).

[0024] According to such a configuration, the user can use it for the first time without hesitation to other users.

[0025] (10) In the above (7), the usage state control means adds or subtracts the number of licenses that can grant the usage right according to an operation by the group administrator (for example, an additional purchase operation, a return operation, an operation of changing an individual license back to a shared license, etc.) by the group administrator, or according to a predetermined condition (for example, when a predetermined remaining number is reached, refer to <Regarding the license> in the modification example).

[0026] According to such a configuration, even when the number of licenses that could grant the usage right decreases or is too large, the number of licenses can be adjusted by adding or subtracting them afterwards, which increases the convenience for the group administrator and the user.

[0027] (11) In the above (1), the predetermined consideration collected from the group is at least a consideration corresponding to the number of users belonging to the group, in response to receiving a first - use operation from a user belonging to the group, the granting processing means performs processing for granting a usage right to the user who performed the first - use operation (for example, an unlimited - reading plan) regardless of the number of usage rights granted to the users belonging to the group (for example, regardless of the number of usage rights granted to all users belonging to the group, the number of usage rights already granted to each user, etc.).

[0028] According to such a configuration, as long as there is a first - use operation, a usage right is granted to the user regardless of the number of usage rights, which reduces the management burden on the group administrator and improves the convenience for the user.

[0029] (12) In the above (1), the electronic content providing system Update means (for example, group management unit 133) for updating the electronic content managed by the group electronic content management means and associated with the group based on an operation on the administrator terminal of the group (for example, in response to an operation on group administrator terminal 200, newly associating the selected electronic content with the group and updating group information 122). The update means is configured to be able to associate and update the new electronic content with the group on the condition that a process for collecting a consideration for associating the new electronic content is performed (for example, updating purchase log data 126 according to the book selection by the group administrator to collect the claim amount in FIG. 21).

[0030] According to such a configuration, it becomes possible to associate new electronic content with the group in exchange for a consideration.

[0031] (13) In the above (1), the computer included in the electronic content distribution system includes a user terminal (for example, user terminal 300) for the user to use electronic content, and a management terminal (for example, server 100) for managing information for making the electronic content available on the user terminal. The user terminal is provided with terminal use management means (for example, information acquisition unit 351, content management unit 354) that can make available to the user the electronic content for which the user who owns the user terminal has been granted the right to use, in response to transmitting request information (for example, login request, synchronization request, etc.) including information for identifying the user who owns the user terminal to the management terminal. The management terminal is provided with login management means (for example, user management unit 134, group management unit 133) for executing the login process of the user, and means (for example, content management unit 132, user management unit 134, etc.) for disabling the electronic content stored in the user's user terminal based on the user information identified by the login management means. the terminal usage management means, in response to login permission being granted by the login management means, makes the electronic content available to the user who has been granted login permission; The login management means updates the user's affiliation status based on a user affiliation management operation on an administrator screen of the group, which associates the user who belongs to the group with the group and sets the user to an affiliation state, or disassociates the user from the group and sets the user to a non-affiliation state (for example, updates the data tables of FIGS. 5 and 6 based on an operation to add or delete a user to the group administrator terminal 200), When receiving request information from a user who has been released by the group administrator and is not in a group membership state, a process of rejecting login is performed; The disabling means disables the electronic content information of the electronic content stored in the user terminal of the user whose login has been rejected by the login management means (for example, sending information to delete the EPUB data downloaded and stored in the user terminal 300).

[0032] According to this configuration, electronic content information of electronic content stored in the user terminal of a user who is no longer a member of a group can be disabled, thereby preventing the electronic content from being used illegally despite the user being no longer a member of the group.

[0033] (14) In the above (1), the first-time use operation includes a trial operation for accepting an operation for trial use of electronic content (for example, a trial operation by selecting the use operation icon R for a book for which a usage right is not granted, or a trial reading operation by selecting a trial reading icon, etc.), The granting processing means performing a second process for granting a right to use the electronic content in response to receiving the trial operation (for example, granting a right to use the electronic content by performing a trial reading operation); After receiving the trial operation, a first process is performed to grant the seller of the electronic content a consideration corresponding to the royalty from the predetermined consideration when the continuity condition for the user to continue using the electronic content is satisfied (for example, when the end condition of the trial reading is satisfied, a confirmation screen is displayed and a confirmation operation is performed, or when the end condition is satisfied, the first use log is automatically updated. Refer to the first form of the process by the trial reading operation in the modification example).

[0034] According to such a configuration, the user can try the electronic content, check the electronic content, and consider whether to actually satisfy the continuity condition.

[0035] (15) In the above (1), the first use operation includes a trial operation for receiving an operation for trying the electronic content (for example, when the use operation icon R is selected for a book without the use right, or a trial reading operation such as when a trial reading icon or the like is selected), The electronic content providing system,[[]] Trial use means (for example, a data transmission / reception unit 131, a user management unit 134, an input unit 330, etc., a display control unit 353, etc.) for performing a process for allowing the user to use the electronic content for which the use right has not been granted to the user in response to receiving the trial operation is provided, After receiving the trial operation, the granting process means performs the first process and the second process when the continuity condition for the user to continue using the electronic content is satisfied (for example, when the end condition of the trial reading is satisfied, a confirmation screen is displayed and a confirmation operation is performed, or when the end condition is satisfied, a process corresponding to step S509 in FIG. 20 is automatically performed. For example, refer to the second form of the process by the trial reading operation in the modification example).

[0036] According to such a configuration, the user can try the electronic content, check the electronic content, and consider whether to actually satisfy the continuity condition.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0037]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0038] The electronic content providing system according to the present invention is a system including a computer (including a server and a user terminal) for making electronic content associated with a group among a plurality of electronic contents sold by a seller of the electronic content available to users belonging to the group. Hereinafter, embodiments of the usage management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following examples, is indicated by the claims, and all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included in the present invention. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements in the description of the drawings, and duplicate descriptions are not repeated.

[0039] The electronic content in this embodiment includes, for example, e-books, game content, video content that enables viewing of videos such as movies, dramas, music videos, lectures, etc., music data, or voice data. Usage refers to viewing e-books, watching videos, playing game content, etc. Also, in this embodiment, when a user (e.g., an employee) belonging to a group (e.g., a company) performs an initial usage operation of electronic content (e.g., an operation to view an e-book for which the usage right has not yet been granted), the usage right of the electronic content (such as the viewing qualification and download qualification of the electronic content) is associated with the user, and a process is performed to pay a royalty-based consideration to the seller of the electronic content for which the initial usage operation was performed from the consideration collected from the group to which the user belongs. Further, in the electronic content providing system in this embodiment, if the contract status of the group is valid, the users belonging to the group can use the electronic content for which the usage right is granted without restrictions on the number of usage times or the period, that is, semi-permanently.

[0040] Also, in the electronic content providing system in this embodiment, the usage status of the user regarding the electronic content is provided (shared) to other users belonging to the same group, which serves as an indicator for the user to select the electronic content to be used. Also, through the sharing of the usage status, the sharing of knowledge within the group is promoted, and the scope of utilization can be expanded, such as creating an opportunity for communication among users.

[0041] The program in this embodiment includes a program that enables the server 100, the group administrator terminal 200, and the user terminal 300 to provide electronic content to the user and manage the electronic content that can be provided to the user.

[0042] <Example of the hardware configuration of the electronic content providing system 1> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the usage management system 1. The usage management system 1 includes a server 100, a group administrator terminal 200, and a plurality of user terminals 300a, 300b, 300c,.... The plurality of user terminals 300a, 300b, 300c,... are terminals owned by each of the plurality of users, and are hereinafter collectively referred to as user terminals 300. A user can own a plurality of terminals, and can access the usage management system 1 using the user ID or the like of the user from any of the terminals.

[0043] The server 100, the group administrator terminal 200, and the user terminal 300 can each be communicatively connected via the network 2 and can transmit and receive information (data) bidirectionally. The network 2 is, for example, the Internet, and is composed of an access network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a mobile communication network (for example, 5G, 4G, etc.), a wired telephone network, an FTTH (Fiber To The Home), a CATV (Cable Television) network, and a wireless network (for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), etc.) that can be connected to the Internet by a predetermined access point.

[0044] The server 100 is a computer such as a workstation or a personal computer having a communication function, and manages the usage rights of electronic content for each user. Electronic content is associated with electronic content information (for example, EPUB (Electronic PUBlication) files of e-books, etc.) described later, and the electronic content information is managed by the server 100 for each electronic content. The electronic content can be used by downloading the electronic content information from the server 100 to the user terminal 300 or by accessing the server 100 from the user terminal 300 via a web browser or the like.

[0045] Note that the server 100 in the present embodiment may be implemented by a single computer, or may be implemented by a plurality of computers (for example, a plurality of servers). Further, it may be a so-called cloud server.

[0046] The group administrator terminal 200 is used by the administrator of the group to which a plurality of users belong. The group administrator terminal 200 is not limited to, for example, a personal computer, and may be a computer having an operation input function and a communication function such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone. In the group administrator terminal 200, management of electronic content associated with the group (for example, selection / purchase of e-books), management of users belonging to the group (for example, addition / deletion (release) of belonging users, restriction of usage range for each user, etc.), management of licenses to be activated (consumed, subtracted, etc.) when a user is granted the right to use (for example, addition / assignment of licenses. Details will be described later.), etc. are performed, and information updated by the management operation is transmitted to the server 100. Note that the group administrator terminal 200 may be the same terminal as the user terminal 300 described below, and by accessing the electronic content providing system 1 from the user terminal 300 using the ID of the group administrator, etc., operations possible in the group administrator terminal 200 can be performed.

[0047] The user terminal 300 (computer, information processing device) is used by a user who intends to use electronic content. The user terminal 300 may be, for example, a computer having an operation input function and a communication function such as a personal computer, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone. Also, an application (program) that enables the use of electronic content is installed in the user terminal 300. By starting the application on the user terminal 300, the user can use the desired electronic content. The application may be, for example, a native application such as an e-book application (viewer application) operated on a smartphone or a tablet terminal, or a web browser application. Note that the user terminal 300 may be an e-book reader, which is a dedicated terminal for viewing e-books.

[0048] <Configuration of Server> Next, the configuration of the server 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the server 100 includes a communication unit 110 that communicates with other computers, a storage unit 120 that stores various data, and a control unit 130 that controls the entire computer. The communication unit 110, the storage unit 120, and the control unit 130 are interconnected by a bus line.

[0049] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface including a NIC (Network Interface Card controller) for performing wired communication or wireless communication. The communication unit 110 communicates with other computers via the network 2.

[0050] The storage unit 120 is composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. The storage unit 120 stores programs for executing various control processes (for example, programs for managing and providing electronic contents, etc.), various data, etc. The various data stored in the storage unit 120 include content data 121 for managing information related to electronic contents, group information 122, user information 123 related to the user, first-use log data 124, usage status data 125, purchase log data 126, and the like.

[0051] In the content data 121, information related to the electronic content is stored in association with the content ID of various electronic contents. The information related to the electronic content includes, for example, a book title, an author, a publisher, a release date, a price, a royalty rate, a genre, and a library classification code. Further, in the content data 121, electronic content information of the electronic content that can be provided by the electronic content providing system 1 is stored. The electronic content information includes various content information (for example, an EPUB file of an e-book, etc.) necessary for allowing the user to use the electronic content, and access information (for example, an encryption key for opening the EPUB file, etc.) for accessing the electronic content.

[0052] The content information is, for example, document data such as an EPUB file or a PDF file when the electronic content is an e-book, and content data such as music file data such as MP3 or MP4 when the electronic content is music data. The user can use the electronic content when the content information becomes available. For example, in the case of an e-book, the EPUB file is opened with a web browser, or a part or all of the information of the EPUB file is downloaded to the user terminal 300, so that the user can view the e-book even in an offline environment on the user terminal 300.

[0053] Access information for accessing electronic content includes encryption keys and decryption keys for encrypting and decrypting content information (e.g., EPUB files), license authentication information regarding the user's right to use electronic content, and extension of the expiration date (e.g., viewing period). In the present embodiment, content information is managed in an encrypted state for each piece of electronic content on the server 100. By associating the ID of the content that can be used with the user ID (granting the right to use), the user can use the electronic content (e.g., view an e-book). For example, the content information of the electronic content corresponding to the content ID can be downloaded to the user terminal 300. The content information downloaded to the user terminal 300 is decrypted by a decryption key (decryption key) for decryption. As a result, the electronic content becomes available on the user terminal 300. Note that the decryption key is downloaded and stored in the user terminal 300 of the user based on the fact that the right to use the electronic content has been granted. Also, the electronic content information is invalidated (disposed of) in response to the contract status of the group to which the user belongs becoming invalid or the user no longer belonging to the group. Invalidation means, for example, making the electronic content unavailable (unreadable) to the user by deleting the content information (such as an EPUB file) on the server 100 or the user terminal 300. Included.

[0054] As the group information 122, a group ID and password for identifying a group (organization such as a company), a group name, the ID of the user belonging to the group, the contract status, the number of licenses, information regarding the electronic content associated with the group, etc. are stored. For example, it is stored in a data table such as FIG. 5 described later.

[0055] Moreover, the electronic content information is invalidated (disposed of) in response to the contract status of the group to which the user belongs becoming invalid or the user no longer belonging to the group. Invalidation means, for example, making the electronic content unavailable (unreadable) to the user by deleting the content information (such as an EPUB file) on the server 100 or the user terminal 300.

[0056] As the group information 122, a group ID and password for identifying a group (organization such as a company), a group name, the ID of the user belonging to the group, the contract status, the number of licenses, information regarding the electronic content associated with the group, etc. are stored. For example, it is stored in a data table such as FIG. 5 described later.

[0057] As the user information 123, a user ID, password, user name, information about electronic content associated with the user, etc. for identifying the user are stored. Also, when the group is a company, information about the department to which each user belongs and information about the job position may be stored. For example, it is stored in a data table like that shown in FIG. 6 described later.

[0058] In the first-use log data 124, information about the electronic content on which the first-use operation was performed is stored. The use operation is an operation to view a book in the case of an e-book (for example, selection of a use operation icon for viewing an e-book, etc.). For a use operation (first-use operation) for attempting to use electronic content for which the user has not yet been granted the right to use, for example, the right to use is granted by selecting a first-use operation icon, etc., or an operation to display a confirmation screen for granting the right to use (for example, the license activation confirmation screen shown in FIG. 15 described later) when a use operation icon, etc. is selected to confirm the granting of the right to use is included. The information stored as the first-use log data 124 is information in which the date and time of the first-use operation, etc. are aggregated for each electronic content, and based on the aggregation result at regular intervals, for calculating the amount of royalty to be paid to the seller of the electronic content on which the first-use operation was performed, for example, it is information stored in a data table like that shown in FIG. 8 described later. The seller includes, for example, the publisher of the e-book and the author of the book in the case of a book.

[0059] In the usage status data 125, the usage status of electronic content for each user and information obtained by aggregating the usage status of each electronic content based on the usage status are stored. The usage status includes information such as "planned usage" corresponding to the intention to use or be interested in using electronic content, "in use", and "usage completed". For example, in the case of an e-book, it corresponds to "unread", "reading", and "read".

[0060] The purchase log data 126 stores information on operations to purchase (also referred to as select) electronic content from a group (for example, the price of an e-book, the purchase date and time, the amount billed to the group, etc.). For example, when the group administrator performs a purchase operation for electronic content, the electronic content for which the purchase operation was performed is associated with the group information 122, and further, information on the purchase operation is stored in the purchase log data 126 in a data table such as that shown in FIG. 21 described later.

[0061] The control unit 130 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the server 100 by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 120.

[0062] The functional configuration of the control unit 130 will be described below. The control unit 130 functions as at least a data transmission / reception unit 131, a content management unit 132, a group management unit 133, a user management unit 134, a usage right management unit 135, a usage status management unit 136, and a license management unit 137.

[0063] The data transmission / reception unit 131 performs transmission and reception of various information with the group administrator terminal 200 and the user terminal 300. The data transmission / reception unit 131 refers to various management tables stored in the storage unit 120. The various information transmitted and received by the data transmission / reception unit 131 includes, for example, electronic content information (for example, EPUB files, encryption keys, etc.) stored in the storage unit 120 and information for specifying electronic content associated with usage rights for users.

[0064] The content management unit 132 manages information regarding each electronic content that can be provided to the user terminal 300 and the like via the communication unit 110 and is stored in the content data 121. For example, information regarding electronic content that can be used by users sold by the electronic content vendor is updated and stored in the storage unit 120.

[0065] The group management unit 133 stores and updates group information 122 related to groups in the storage unit 120. For example, it stores and updates information such as addition and deletion of groups, information regarding the contract status of groups, increase and decrease in the number of licenses, and information regarding electronic content newly associated with a group based on a purchase operation of electronic content on the group administrator terminal 200. Examples of the contract status include the valid / invalid status of a contract in response to the collection of consideration for using the electronic content providing system 1, and the contract plan.

[0066] The user management unit 134 stores and updates user information 123 related to users in the storage unit 120.

[0067] The usage right management unit 135 manages information regarding the granting or revocation of usage rights of electronic content for each user. For example, based on a first-time usage operation by a user, it updates and stores information regarding the usage rights of electronic content granted to the user stored in the user information 123.

[0068] The usage status management unit 136 updates and stores information stored as usage status data 125 of electronic content based on a setting operation by a user or the user's usage operation.

[0069] The license management unit 137 stores and updates the group information 122 or the user information 123 such that a predetermined number of licenses are granted for each group or each user.

[0070] <Configuration of the Group Administrator Terminal> Next, the configuration of the group administrator terminal 200 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the group administrator terminal includes a communication unit 210 that communicates with other computers, a storage unit 220 that stores various data, an input unit 230 for inputting operations, etc., an output unit 240 for outputting images, etc., and a control unit 250 that controls the entire computer. The communication unit 210, the storage unit 220, the input unit 230, the output unit 240, and the control unit 250 are interconnected by a bus line.

[0071] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface equipped with a NIC for performing wired communication or wireless communication. The communication unit 210 communicates with other computers including the server 100 via the network 2. The storage unit 220 is composed of a RAM, a ROM, etc. The storage unit 220 stores programs for executing various control processes (for example, a program for managing electronic content associated with the belonging users and groups of a group, etc.), various data, etc.

[0072] The input unit 230 includes an input device (for example, a pointing device such as a touch panel, a touch pad, a mouse, etc., a keyboard, etc.) for receiving an input operation from the group administrator. The output unit 240 includes an output device (a display unit such as a display, a speaker, etc.) for presenting information to the group administrator.

[0073] The control unit 250 is composed of a CPU, etc. The control unit 250 controls the overall operation of the group administrator terminal 200 by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 220. Hereinafter, the functional configuration of the control unit 250 will be described. The control unit 250 functions as at least a content management unit 251, a belonging user management unit 252, and a license management unit 253. [[ID=!1]]

[0074] According to an operation on the group administrator terminal 200, the content management unit 251 transmits operation information to the server 100 via the communication unit 210 so that information regarding the electronic content in the storage unit 130 of the server 100 (for example, content data 121, group information 122) is stored and updated. For example, when there is a purchase operation (which may also be a deletion operation) for newly associating electronic content with a group, the electronic content associated with the group stored in the storage unit 130 is updated.

[0075] The user management unit 252 transmits operation information to the server 100 via the communication unit 210 so that, in response to an operation on the group administrator terminal 200, addition or deletion of users belonging to a group stored in the storage unit 130 (for example, group information 122 and user information 123) of the server 100 and setting of various information of users (for example, affiliated department, job title, etc.) are updated.

[0076] The license management unit 253 transmits operation information to the server 100 via the communication unit 210 so that, in response to an operation on the group administrator terminal 200, the number of licenses associated with a group or a user stored in the storage unit 130 (for example, group information 122 and user information 123) of the server 100 is updated. (The license is activated when granting the user the right to use electronic content, which will be described later.) For example, operation information such as addition of a license by the group administrator and assignment to each user is transmitted to the server 100, and the number of licenses associated with the group or user stored in the storage unit 120 is updated and stored.

[0077] <Configuration of User Terminal> Next, the configuration of the user terminal 300 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the user terminal includes a communication unit 310 that communicates with other computers including the server 100, a storage unit 320 that stores various data, an input unit 330 for inputting operations, etc., an output unit 340 for outputting images, etc., and a control unit 350 that controls the entire computer. The communication unit 310, the storage unit 320, the input unit 330, the output unit 340, and the control unit 350 are interconnected by a bus line.

[0078] The communication unit 310 is a communication interface including a NIC for performing wired or wireless communication. The communication unit 310 communicates with other computers including the server 100 via the network 2. The storage unit 320 is composed of a RAM, a ROM, etc. The storage unit 320 stores programs for executing various control processes (for example, programs for managing and providing electronic content, etc.) and various data, etc.

[0079] The input unit 330 includes an input device (for example, a pointing device such as a touch panel, a touch pad, a mouse, etc., a keyboard, a microphone, etc.) for receiving input operations and voices from the user. The user operation in this embodiment refers to an operation from the user on these input units 330. For example, a touch operation, a slide operation, a flick operation on the touch panel, or a button operation, a drag (swipe) operation, a selection operation on an icon displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300, an operation on a pointing device or a keyboard, a voice input to a microphone, etc. are included. Note that the selection in this embodiment means that a selection operation has been performed when an operation from the user on the input unit 330 is performed.

[0080] The output unit 340 includes an output device (a display unit such as a display, a speaker, etc.) for presenting (notifying) information (text, image, voice, etc.) to the user and outputting the information in the user terminal 300.

[0081] The control unit 350 is composed of a CPU or the like. The control unit 350 controls the overall operation of the user terminal 300 by executing the program stored in the storage unit 320. Hereinafter, the functional configuration of the control unit 350 will be described. The control unit 350 functions as at least an information acquisition unit 351, an input information transmission unit 352, a display control unit 353, a content management unit 354, a user management unit 355, and a usage status management unit 356.

[0082] The information acquisition unit 351 acquires data related to electronic content from the server 100 via the communication unit 310, stores information related to the electronic content to be displayed in the user terminal 300 based on the acquired data, and stores a program that enables the user to use the electronic content in the storage unit 320. The information related to the electronic content includes electronic content information of the electronic content for which the user has been granted the right to use, information related to the usage status of the electronic content, etc.

[0083] The input information transmission unit 352 transmits information (such as an ID) for identifying a user for logging in, a synchronization request, operation input information acquired by the input unit 330, voice input information, etc., which are transmitted together with the login request, to the server 100. The operation input information includes utilization operations (browsing operations) for the user to utilize electronic content, operations for setting the utilization status of electronic content, operations for posting reviews of electronic content, etc.

[0084] Based on the data regarding the electronic content acquired by the information acquisition unit 351 and the information regarding the electronic content stored in the storage unit 320, the display control unit 353 displays a screen related to the electronic content on the display unit of the user terminal 300. The display control unit 353 displays, for example, a list of electronic books owned by the user, various icons operable for setting the utilization and utilization status of the electronic books, and a utilization screen (browsing screen) of the electronic book on which the content of the electronic book is displayed.

[0085] Based on the data regarding the electronic content acquired by the information acquisition unit 351 and the operations from the user, the content management unit 354 performs addition, deletion, etc. of the electronic content that the user can utilize on the user terminal 300 for the information of the electronic content stored in the storage unit 320, and updates and stores it.

[0086] The user management unit 355 stores and updates user information regarding the user in the storage unit 320. The user information regarding the user includes, for example, an ID for identifying the user, a user name, information for specifying the group to which the user belongs, etc.

[0087] Based on the setting operations from the user and the utilization operations of the user, the utilization status management unit 356 updates and stores the utilization status for each electronic content stored in the storage unit 320. The updated utilization status is transmitted to the server 100 via the communication unit 310 by the input information transmission unit 352.

[0088] <Regarding the example of the data table> In the following embodiments, an example of an electronic content providing system 1 that enables a user to view e-books will be described in detail mainly as the use of electronic content. Also, the group includes organizations such as companies and educational institutions, and the users belonging to the group include employees and students. By using the electronic content providing system 1 according to this embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as the providing system 1) by a company or the like, the learning motivation of employees can be improved, which in turn leads to an increase in corporate value. First, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9, an example of a data table (database) stored in the storage unit 120 of the server 100 of the electronic content providing system 1 in this embodiment will be described.

[0089] (Example of Group Data Table) FIG. 5 is an example of a data table of information related to a group stored as group information 122 in the storage unit 120 of the server 100. In the group data table of FIG. 5, for each group, a "group ID" for identifying the group, a "group name", a "belonging user ID", a "contract status", a "usage plan", a "remaining shared license number", an "additional charge amount", a "group-related content ID", and a "content name" corresponding to the content ID are associated.

[0090] The "contract status" is information on whether the contract status when the group uses the electronic content providing system 1 according to this embodiment, that is, the e-book viewing service, is valid. After the contract status of the group becomes valid (after the usage start condition is satisfied), while the valid state continues, users belonging to a valid group can use the electronic content (usable state). Also, for a company to use the providing system 1 of this embodiment (to make the contract status valid), as a consideration for use, it is a condition that the group pays the usage fee directly or indirectly to the operating company of the providing system 1. Note that the payment may be made in arrears or in advance.

[0091] The conditions for the contract status to become valid (usage start conditions) may include that payment has been made from the group, or that a contract has been concluded, etc., and thus payment of the usage fee has been made, or, as something that will be in the future, the "contract status" of the group may be set to "valid" by the administrator of the provision system 1. Alternatively, if an automatic settlement system is introduced into the provision system 1, the group management unit 133 may perform a process of setting the "contract status" to "valid" in response to the control unit 130 acquiring settlement information indicating that payment of the usage fee has been made.

[0092] Also, as conditions for the contract status to become invalid (usage end conditions), when there are circumstances such as non-payment of the usage fee or cancellation of the contract, the "contract status" of the group in which such circumstances have occurred may be set to "invalid" by the administrator of the provision system 1. Alternatively, if an automatic settlement system is introduced into the provision system 1, the group management unit 133 may perform a process of setting the "contract status" to "invalid" in response to, for example, the control unit 130 being unable to acquire settlement information by a predetermined due date.

[0093] For example, since the contract status of groups G1 to G6 is "valid", the users belonging to them can use the e-books associated with the group. On the other hand, since the contract status of group G50 is "invalid", the users belonging to it cannot use the e-books. For example, even if a login request is sent from the user terminal 300 of a user belonging to group G50 to the provision system 1, the login will be rejected.

[0094] The "Usage Plan" refers to the information on the plans for the group to use the provision system 1, and includes the "License Purchase Plan" and the "Unlimited Reading Plan". In the case of the "License Purchase Plan", when granting the user the right to use (viewing right) of the e-books, it is a condition to activate the license. Also, the payment of the usage fee for the "License Purchase Plan" means purchasing the license (right to use). That is, the license here is the right to use that can be used for any e-books associated with the group (regardless of the type of books), and the activation of the license means that the right to use that is not associated (not activated) with any user and e-books is associated with the user for the e-books desired by the user. The license in this embodiment can be said to be, so to speak, a ticket (right) for which the right to use is granted by consumption (activation).

[0095] The activation of the license is activated in response to the operation (first use operation) of each user who tries to view an e-book that is content associated with the group to which the user belongs, that is, an e-book associated with the group-associated content ID and for which the user has not been granted the right to use. As a result, the right to use the book is granted to the user who performed the first use operation.

[0096] The usage fee for the "License Purchase Plan" varies depending on the number of licenses. For example, it is a plan to regularly purchase the number of licenses according to the number of users (for example, the number of affiliated users × 10, etc.) every month. Note that regardless of the number of affiliated users, it may be a plan to regularly purchase a predetermined number (for example, 30, 50, etc.) determined in advance every month or desired by the group.

[0097] In addition, the licenses purchased by the group include a "shared license" that can be used by any user belonging to the group, and an "individual license" that is assigned to each user, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 6. The "remaining shared license count" shown in FIG. 5 is associated with the remaining number of licenses shared among the users belonging to the group when the usage plan is the "license purchase plan". The "individual license" for each user may be assigned to each user by the license management unit 137 such that a predetermined number determined in advance by the group administrator or the like (such as user information 123) and stored at a predetermined timing when the license is granted to the group (for example, a predetermined timing such as the 1st of each month, the timing when the license is purchased, etc.). Alternatively, the assignment of the "individual license" may be such that, for example, after all the licenses are granted to the group as "shared licenses", an arbitrary number is allocated to the users by the group administrator through an operation on the group administrator terminal 200.

[0098] Also, in the "license purchase plan", in addition to the predetermined licenses by means of monthly regular purchases or the like, additional licenses can be purchased. The "additional charge amount" shown in FIG. 5 is associated with the payment amount when additional licenses are purchased (for example, for the current month). For example, if it is 1,000 yen per license, 10 additional licenses can be added on the condition that the group pays 10,000 yen (hereinafter, an example where it is 1,000 yen per license will be described). The additional licenses are added by performing an operation to purchase additionally from the group administrator terminal 200 when, for example, all the licenses within the group have been activated or the remaining number has become small and the group administrator terminal 200 is notified. Note that the "additional charge amount" may be billed to the group, for example, in the following month as the amount to be paid. Also, additional licenses may be associated with the group in response to the completion of the payment settlement for the additional charge amount.

[0099] On the other hand, when the "usage plan" is the "unlimited reading plan", there is no need to activate the license when granting the user the right to use (viewing right) electronic content. For users belonging to the "unlimited reading plan" group, even if there are books for which the usage right has already been granted to the entire group or to individual users, the usage right of the e-books will be granted without restriction regardless of the number of usage rights already granted. For example, by paying a usage fee determined in advance according to the number of users belonging to the group (for example, the more people there are, the cheaper it is) and, in addition to this, the contract period (for example, the longer the long-term contract, the cheaper it is), the group can use the "unlimited reading plan".

[0100] For example, in the group G1 of FIG. 5, the usage plan is the "license purchase plan", and the remaining shared license number is "30". Also, since the additional charge amount is 10,000 yen, 10 licenses out of the remaining shared licenses are licenses purchased additionally. The groups G2 and G5 are on the "unlimited reading plan", and since there is no remaining shared license number or additional charge amount, the remaining shared license number is "0". In the group G6, since the additional charge amount is 50,000 yen, 50 licenses have been purchased additionally, but since all of them have been activated, the remaining shared license number is "0".

[0101] The "group-related content ID" is the ID of an e-book purchased (selected) based on an operation on the group administrator terminal 200 by the group administrator or the like. The books for which the belonging users can obtain the usage right can be selected from among the books associated with the "group-related content ID" of the belonging group.

[0102] (Example of user data table) FIG. 6 is an example of a user data table related to usage rights stored as user information 123 in the storage unit 120 of the server 100. In the user data table of FIG. 6, for each user, "user ID", "user name", "affiliated group ID", "remaining number of personal licenses", "content ID with usage rights granted", "content name" corresponding to the content ID, etc. are associated.

[0103] As described above with reference to FIG. 5, the "remaining number of personal licenses" is the remaining number of "personal licenses" individually granted to each user separately from the "shared license" shared within the group when the usage plan of the affiliated group is the "license purchase plan". The license granted to each user can be activated only by the user to whom it is granted. Also, in the provision system 1, even if there is a remaining number of shared licenses, if there is a remaining number of personal licenses, the personal licenses are preferentially activated (consumed).

[0104] For example, since user u1 has a remaining number of personal licenses of "3", the user can activate (use) the personal license so that usage rights are granted for three e-books. On the other hand, since user u2 has a remaining number of personal licenses of "0", in order for usage rights for e-books to be granted, it is necessary (required) to activate the shared license associated with the affiliated group "G1". Also, for users u4 and u5 belonging to group G2 with an unlimited reading plan, since it is possible to associate usage rights for electronic content without activating the license, the remaining number of personal licenses is "0".

[0105] The "content ID with usage rights granted" is the content ID of the e-book for which usage rights have been granted to each user due to the first usage operation by the user. When the usage rights are granted to the user, the user can view the book. For example, based on the first usage operation of attempting to view a book that the user has not viewed yet, the usage rights for the book are associated with the user, and the content ID is added to the "content ID with usage rights granted".

[0106] (Example of content table) FIG. 7 is an example of a content data table stored as content data 121 in the storage unit 120 of the server 100. In the content data table of FIG. 7, for each seller of e-books, "publisher ID", "publisher name", "content ID" of the e-books handled, "book price", "royalty rate", etc. are associated.

[0107] (Example of first-use log table) FIG. 8 is an example of a log table in which logs of electronic content for which a first-use operation by a user is recorded are stored as first-use log data 124 in the storage unit 120 of the server 100. In the present embodiment, based on the information recorded in the first-use log table illustrated in FIG. 8, each time there is a first-use operation from a user, processing for paying royalties to the seller of the electronic content is performed. The source of the royalties paid to the seller is the usage fee corresponding to the usage plan collected from the group or the shelf registration fee collected from the group described later with reference to FIG. 21. In the first-use log table, the "first-use date", which is information on when the first-use operation was performed, the "group ID" and "user ID" as information on the user who performed the first-use operation, the "content ID", "book price", "royalty rate" as information for determining the amount of royalties paid from the operator of the provision system 1 to the seller of the electronic content for which the first-use operation was performed, and the "publisher ID" corresponding to the content are recorded as associated information.

[0108] For example, in FIG. 8, it is recorded that on February 1, 2023 (refer to the first use date), there was a first use operation of the content "book1" by the user u1 belonging to the group G. Also on the same day, the user u2 also performed a first use operation of "book1" and further performed a first use operation of "book3". Since the price of "book1" is 1,000 yen and the royalty rate is 50%, the amount of royalty paid to the seller is 500 yen. Also, since the price of "book3" is 1,600 yen and the royalty rate is 50%, the amount of royalty paid to the seller is 800 yen. Therefore, a total of 1,300 yen of royalty will be generated for the publisher P1, which is the seller of "book1" and "book3", due to the first use operations of the users u1 and u2 on February 1, 2023 illustrated in FIG. 8. For example, the amount of royalty may be calculated for each predetermined period (e.g., daily, monthly) by the operation of the operator of the providing system 1 based on the first use log table for each seller, or may be calculated for each predetermined period (e.g., daily, monthly) by the control unit 130 of the server 100 and the amount of royalty may be output to a terminal (not shown in FIG. 1 but a terminal capable of communicating with other computers via the network 2) operated by the operator of the providing system 1.

[0109] Also, the first-use log may be recorded at the same timing as when the user performs the first-use operation and the user is granted the right to use the book, or it may be recorded at a timing different from the timing when the right to use is granted. For example, based on the user data table illustrated in FIG. 6, etc., for each specific period (e.g., daily, monthly), books newly granted the right to use to the user are extracted and may be recorded in the first-use log table. Note that the royalty rate can be set arbitrarily as appropriate, for example, by agreement with the seller, etc. Also, it is not limited to determining the royalty rate for each book, and the royalty amount may be set according to the price range of the book (e.g., when the book price is 500 yen to 1,000 yen, it is 300 yen, when it is 1,000 yen to 1,500 yen, it is 500 yen, etc.). In this case, for example, a royalty table by price band that determines a fixed royalty amount for each price range of the book is stored in the storage unit 120, and when calculating the royalty amount based on the first-use log table, the royalty table by price band may be referred to so that the total royalty amount is calculated (alternatively, it may be recorded in the first-use log each time the first-use operation is recorded in the first-use log).

[0110] As described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, in this embodiment, the payment of the usage fee itself is based on a BtoB (business transaction between companies) business model in which a group makes the payment. However, each time a user performs an initial use operation of an e-book, a process for paying royalties to the seller is executed, so that, like a BtoC (business transaction between a company and a consumer) business model, each user is granted the right to use the e-book, and each user can freely use the e-book. Therefore, there is no limit to the number of concurrent viewers of a single e-book, nor is there a limit to the usage period (e.g., the viewing deadline of the e-book). Thus, the user can freely leave notes, markers, etc., and use the e-book whenever desired, just like an e-book purchased personally by the user. That is, it is such that employees can individually own the books purchased by the company. Therefore, for example, a large number of people such as 100 new employees can all view the same book simultaneously for training or the like. Although an e-book is intangible, the above-mentioned ownership indicates that a usage right with the property that no special restrictions are imposed on the usage period or the number of times of use is granted as a concept similar to the user's perception when owning a tangible object. Also, when a user ceases to belong to a group or when the group's contract becomes invalid, the user can no longer use the e-book. This corresponds to a case where a user has purchased an e-book personally but has deleted the account of the service (e.g., an e-book store) from which the e-book was purchased, and regardless of the nature of the granted usage right, the use is restricted. That is, the usage right in this embodiment is not subject to usage restrictions on the usage right itself.

[0111] (Example of Usage Status Table) FIG. 9 is an example of a data table regarding the usage status for each e - book stored as usage status data 125 in the storage unit 120 of the server 100. In this embodiment, a user can set the usage status for an e - book that can be provided to the user by the providing system 1. The usage status (also referred to as the reading status, reading state) includes, for example, "unread" indicating that the book is planned to be read, "reading" indicating that the book is currently being read, and "completed" indicating that the book has been finished. Also, a book for which the usage status for each user is set is also said to be a book registered on the user's bookshelf.

[0112] In the usage status table of FIG. 9, "user ID", "affiliated group ID", "content ID related to usage status", "content name", "usage status", "private setting", etc. are associated for each user. The "content ID related to usage status" is associated with the ID of the content for which the "usage status" has been updated and stored based on the user's setting operation or the user's usage operation. The user's setting operation means that the user can make arbitrary settings for each electronic content from the electronic content information screen of FIG. 13 described later. Also, when the user performs a first - time usage operation on a book for which the usage status has not been set (unset), the usage status table is updated with the information of the book for which the usage status is set to "reading" and is associated with the user for the first - time usage operation.

[0113] Also, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 12 and the like, the usage status can be made public and shared among other users within the affiliated group. Furthermore, in the said provision system 1, it is possible to post a review for each book, and similar to the usage status, it is associated with each user. As a result, a user can know what books other users are using and what knowledge they have. Therefore, for example, a newly recruited employee can read the same books as the upper management such as the supervisor and the president, and by knowing the views of the upper management on the said books, the understanding of the company's management policy will be deepened, and the work can be carried out in a better direction. On the other hand, the upper management can refer to it for management and retention prevention by knowing the books that subordinates including newly recruited employees are interested in. Also, since it can be glimpsed from the reading status of colleagues that they are eager to study knowledge, it stimulates each other among colleagues and leads to an improvement in the learning motivation.

[0114] Also, the books for which a user can set the usage status and post a review are not limited to the books for which the said user has been granted the right to use, as described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, or the books associated with the affiliated group, but any books that can be handled by the provision system 1 (electronic content stored as content data 121), even for books for which the right to use has not been granted or books not associated with the affiliated group, the usage status can be set and a review can be posted. As a result, when the group administrator (for example, the person in charge of book selection, etc.) selects books to be associated with the group, they can refer to the reviews of the affiliated users.

[0115] As described above, in the provision system 1, the usage status of the user's books and the like are made public to other users. However, some users may not want to make the usage status and review posts public to other users, but with the "privacy settings", it is possible to set whether to make it public or non - public for each electronic content when updating the usage status and the like.

[0116] For example, for the books associated with the usage status of user u1 in FIG. 9, not only "book1" and "book2" with usage rights granted as exemplified in FIG. 6, but also "book3" and "book4" without usage rights granted have "unread" and "reading" usage statuses set. Also, for the books associated with the usage status of user u4 in FIG. 9, "unread" and "reading" are associated with "book1" and "book2" which are not associated with either group G2 in FIG. 5 or user u4 in FIG. 6. Note that for the usage status, information may be accumulated by attribute (for example, information on the books with the top number of set completions for each user type (for example, gender, age, department, etc.)), so that information aggregated by the publisher can be provided.

[0117] <Regarding the screen example> Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 10 to 15, a screen example displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300 and the group administrator terminal 200 in this embodiment will be described. Since a similar screen is also displayed on the display unit of the group administrator terminal 200, hereinafter, it will mainly be described as a screen example on the display unit of the user terminal 300, but when there are operations that cannot be executed on the user terminal 300, additional explanations will be provided.

[0118] At the top of the screen of the user terminal or the like for using the provision system 1 in this embodiment, a menu area 10 where menu tabs and the number of licenses, etc. are displayed is shown. The menu tabs displayed in the menu area 10 in FIG. 10 and the like include a book search TB1, a review TB2, a member TB3, a my page TB4, a Book Reader TB5 (usage screen tool), etc.

[0119] When the book search TB1 is selected, the electronic content search screen in Fig. 10 is displayed. When the review TB2 is selected, the review list screen in Fig. 11(A) is displayed. When the member TB3 is selected, the affiliated member list screen in Fig. 11(B) is displayed. When the my page TB4 is selected, the my page screen as shown in Fig. 12(B) (which is also a screen of the user's own usage status) is displayed. When Book Reader15 is selected, the usage screen (browsing screen) of the e-book used (viewed) last time is displayed.

[0120] In the license number 13 displayed at the upper right of the menu area 10 such as Fig. 10, the remaining numbers of the individual license and the shared license are displayed. Note that the license 13 may be made non-displayed when the affiliated group is on the free reading plan. Also, the user may not be able to confirm the number of shared licenses, but by being displayed, the user can recognize that it is a shared property within the group, and it is possible to prevent some users from overusing it.

[0121] Note that these menu tabs and the menu area 10 for displaying the license number, etc. may be, for example, displayed as a selection box in the home screen after logging in. Also, they may be always displayed as tabs on any screen, or may be displayed by selecting a predetermined tab, icon, etc., or the display / non-display of the tab may be switched by clicking (tapping, etc.) on a predetermined area.

[0122] (Electronic content search screen) Figure 10 shows an example of the display of an electronic content search screen. The electronic content search screen is displayed when the user logs in or when the book search TB1 is selected. Figure 10(A) is a group bookshelf search screen, and only the e-books corresponding to the "group-related content ID" associated with each group exemplified in Figure 5 are displayed. Also, for each book, together with the cover image of the book, bibliographic information such as the title of the book, the publisher, the author, and the publication date, and the usage status, etc. are displayed. The usage status for each book is the usage status aggregated based on the usage status table for each user exemplified in Figure 9. For example, the unread 10, reading 20, and read 30 displayed corresponding to "Book 1" in Figure 10(A) are displayed based on the aggregated results of each usage status for the entire group regarding "book1".

[0123] Figure 10(B) is a store search screen, and not only the e-books associated with the group but also the e-books that can be associated with the group stored as the content information 121 of the server 100 are displayed. On the store search screen, the category for each book, the price of the book, and information on whether the book has been purchased (associated with the group) or not in the group are displayed. The group administrator can perform a book purchase operation (book selection operation) from the store search screen by operating the group administrator terminal 200.

[0124] Also, on both the group bookshelf search screen and the store search screen, the user can search for the desired book by entering a keyword in the search window 11 or narrowing down the category. Also, on the group bookshelf in Figure 10(A), when the target switching icon 12A is selected by the user, it is possible to transition to the store search screen in Figure 10(B), and when the target switching icon 12B on the store search screen is selected by the user, it transitions to the group bookshelf search screen.

[0125] (Review screen and example of member screen) FIG. 11 shows an example of a review screen and a list screen of affiliated members. FIG. 11(A) shows a list of reviews posted by users belonging to a group, which is displayed by selecting the review TB2. FIG. 11(B) shows a list of members belonging to the group, which is displayed by selecting the member TB3. Also, a desired member can be searched by entering a keyword in the search window 11.

[0126] On the review screen of FIG. 11(A), there are displayed a cover image of the book being reviewed, the book title, an icon image and user name (also referred to as user name, etc.) of the user who reviewed the book, and a like icon (e.g., a thumbs-up mark, etc.) which is an icon for performing an action of liking each review. Reviews may be able to be posted from an electronic content information screen or a my page, etc. described later, or may be able to be transitioned to a screen where reviews can be posted from the review screen (e.g., by selecting the operation of "post a review from the my page" illustrated in FIG. 11(A), transitioning to the my page, etc.).

[0127] On the list screen of affiliated members in FIG. 11(B), an icon image and user name (user name, etc.) of the user (member) are displayed. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 11(B), the department and position to which each user belongs, a message, etc. may also be displayed. When the user name, etc. of the user is selected, it transitions to the usage status screen (bookshelf screen) of FIG. 12 where the usage status of the books of the corresponding user (member) can be confirmed.

[0128] (Example of user usage status screen) FIG. 12 shows an example of a usage status screen (bookshelf screen) for each user. FIG. 12(A) is an example when a member screen (bookshelf of another user), which is a usage status screen of another user, is displayed. When the user name or the like of a member belonging to the group illustrated in FIG. 11 is selected, it is displayed together with the usage status of the member (user). For example, it is a display example when the member screen of user u2 is displayed on the user terminal 300 of user u1. The member screen displays a list of books registered on the bookshelf of the displayed user (usage status is set for each user in FIG. 9). For each book, the usage status associated with the user and the last viewing date are displayed.

[0129] Also, as usage status tabs, unread RS1, reading RS2, and read RS3 are displayed, which can extract a list of books by the usage status of the displayed user when a selection operation is performed. Also, for each usage status tab (RS1 to RS3), the number of books corresponding to each user's usage status is displayed. As illustrated in FIG. 12(A), a review RTB tab for displaying a list of books for which the user has submitted a review, a like LTB tab for displaying a list of books for which a like action has been performed, etc. may also be displayed. Also in the review RTB and like LTB, similar to the usage status tabs, the number of reviewed books and the number of like actions may be displayed. By selecting these various tabs such as the usage status tabs RS1 to RS3, review RTB, and like LTB, a part of the screen (for example, the lower part of the screen) is switched and displayed so that the information corresponding to the selected tab is displayed.

[0130] FIG. 12(B) is an example of a screen when the my page is displayed, and is displayed when the user name or the like of the user himself / herself is selected from the user name or the like illustrated in FIG. 11, or when the my page TB4 is selected from the menu area 10. FIG. 12(B) is, for example, the my page screen of user u1. On the my page, a list of books registered in the bookshelf of the user who operates the user terminal 300 (the usage status is set for each user in FIG. 9) is displayed, and the usage status of each book can be confirmed, and the books associated with the usage rights can be confirmed and browsed. Also, similar to FIG. 12(A), for each book, the usage status associated with the user, the last viewing date, the usage operation icon R as a usage operation unit, etc. are displayed.

[0131] When the usage operation icon R is selected, for the books that already have usage rights associated (granted) to the user, the user can transition to the book usage screen and view the books. On the other hand, for the books that do not yet have usage rights associated, as will be described later with reference to FIGS. 15 and 20, the user will be able to view the books after the first-time usage process for associating the usage rights is performed. Note that, similar to FIG. 12(A), it is also possible to display the review RTB for confirming the books for which a review has been submitted and the books for which a like action has been performed, and the like LTB. Also, on the member screen of FIG. 12(A), the usage operation icon R may be displayed for each book.

[0132] The usage status tabs (RS1 to RS3) shown in FIGS. 12(A) and (B) are each selected, and a list of books with the selected usage status among the books whose usage status is associated (registered in the bookshelf) with the corresponding user is extracted and displayed. FIG. 12(C) is an example of a screen in which, when the reading-in-progress RS2 is selected on the my page of FIG. 12(B), a list of books associated with the user u1 as being in the reading-in-progress state in FIG. 9 is displayed. At this time, in order for the user to easily distinguish whether a book has usage rights granted, an icon that can recognize that usage rights are granted or the last viewing date may be displayed so that it can be recognized that the book has usage rights granted. For example, for Books 1 and 2 in FIG. 12(B), since usage rights are granted to the user u1, the last viewing date is displayed, while for Book 4 shown in FIG. 12(C), although the usage status is set, since usage rights are not granted, there is no display of the last viewing date.

[0133] (Example of Electronic Content Information Screen) FIG. 13 is an example of a display of an electronic content information screen on which detailed information for each book is shown. The electronic content information screen is displayed when a book is selected (for example, a selection operation of the book cover image or the book title) from the electronic content search screen, review list screen, user usage status screen, etc. exemplified with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. Also, the display mode of the electronic content information screen changes depending on whether the usage status of the book is set for the user who owns the user terminal 300 on which it is displayed (see FIG. 9), and also depending on whether it is associated with the group to which the user belongs (see FIG. 5). In any case, for each book, together with the book cover image, bibliographic information, summary, etc., aggregate information on the usage status in the group to which the book belongs based on the usage status table in FIG. 9 and review postings are also displayed. Also, the current usage status 20 indicating information regarding the usage status of the book for the user who owns the user terminal 300 on which the electronic content information screen is displayed is shown.

[0134] FIG. 13(A) is an example of an electronic content information screen displayed when the selected book is a book associated with the group to which it belongs and the usage status has not been set. In the current usage status 20, a message such as "This is a book outside the bookshelf" is displayed as information indicating that it is not registered on the user's bookshelf.

[0135] On the other hand, FIG. 13(B) is an example of an electronic content information screen displayed when the selected book is a book for which the usage status has been set. In the current usage status 20, a message such as "This is a book being read" is displayed as information indicating that the usage status is associated with the user.

[0136] FIG. 13(C) is an example of an electronic content information screen displayed when the selected book is a book not associated with a group. In this case, in the current usage status 20, a message such as "This is an un-purchased book" is displayed as information indicating that it is a book not yet associated with a group (un-purchased book). This improves the convenience when the group administrator performs an operation to purchase a book from the group administrator terminal 200.

[0137] When the selected book is a book associated with a group, on the electronic content information screen, as shown in FIGS. 13(A) and (B), as a usage operation part, a usage operation icon R (read) is displayed. Also, on the electronic content information screens of FIGS. 13(A) to (C), there are displayed a usage status setting icon ST (change of reading status), which is an icon for setting the usage status, various usage status tabs RS1 to RS3 for displaying the results of aggregating the usage statuses of users within the group for each book, a review list and a posting column for the book, etc. As exemplified with reference to FIG. 12, when the usage status tabs RS1 to RS3 are selected, the members whose usage status of the book is the usage status corresponding to the selected tab are displayed in a list. Also, when the review RTB, like button LTB, etc. are selected, the members who have performed a review or a like action on the book are displayed in a list. For example, on the electronic content information screen, when the backlog RS1 is selected, the members within the group whose usage status is set to backlog in the usage status table of FIG. 9 are displayed in a list. FIG. 13(A) is an example of a screen when the review RTB is selected and a review list is displayed at the lower part of the screen. Note that the number of reviews and the number of like actions made on the book may be displayed on the review RTB and like button LTB on the electronic content information screen. Also, it may be set such that a review list is displayed at the lower part of the screen as the default screen when the electronic content information screen is displayed.

[0138] When the usage status setting icon ST is selected, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 14 and the like, it is possible to set an arbitrary usage status for the user with respect to the book. This usage status setting operation is not associated with user usage rights and can also be set for books for which the group has not been purchased. Also, when the usage right is associated with a book for which the usage status has not been set by selecting the usage operation icon R (first usage operation), the usage status is set to "reading". Note that it may be possible to perform a private setting for each book so that other users do not know that it is registered on the bookshelf. For example, book 3 (book3) for which user u2 has set the private setting to non-public in FIG. 9 is not displayed on the usage status screen that can be confirmed by other users in FIG. 12(A).

[0139] FIG. 13(D) is an example of a matching member list display screen in which members who match the selected usage status (in the usage status table of FIG. 9, the usage status is set to the selected usage status) are displayed in a list when the usage status tabs (RS1 to RS3) displayed on the electronic content information screen in FIGS. 13(A) to (C) are selected. In FIG. 13(D), for book 2 (book2), the members within the group that have set the usage status to reading are displayed in a list.

[0140] (Example of screen transition when updating usage status) An example of the screen transition when the usage status update process is performed will be described with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14(A) is an electronic content information screen, which is the same screen as FIGS. 13(A) to (C). When the usage status setting icon ST is selected on the electronic content information screen, as illustrated in FIG. 14(B), options for the usage status (pile of unread books, reading, finished reading) are displayed. When the user selects any usage status, in the usage status table for each user in FIG. 9, the usage status of the book is updated to the usage status selected by the user.

[0141] Also, in Fig. 14(A), since the book for which the usage status is not set for the operating user, "The book is outside the bookshelf" was displayed in the current usage status 20. Based on the usage status setting operation by the user, as illustrated in Fig. 14(C), the current usage status 20 will be displayed as "The book is a backlog book". Also, in the usage status tab for each book, 1 is added to the backlog RS1. Similarly, as illustrated in Fig. 13(D), when the usage status is set / updated, in the my page screen illustrated in Fig. 12(B), when the backlog RS1 in the usage status tab for each user was 26, 1 was added and it became 27. Since the book was outside the bookshelf, the book is added to the bookshelf list (refer to the dotted line part). Although an example of the screen at the time of updating the usage status for a book with an unset usage status has been described, even if it has already been set, the usage status table in Fig. 9 is updated in the same way, and each usage status tab etc. is updated in the same way.

[0142] (Example of screen transition when usage right is granted) Fig. 15 is an example of screen transition when the usage right is granted by the user's first use operation of the book. Fig. 15(A) is an electronic content information screen (similar to Fig. 13(A), (B), etc.) of the book associated with the group to which the user belongs (refer to Fig. 5). When the usage plan of the group is the license purchase plan described with reference to Fig. 5, even if it is a book associated with the usage status table in Fig. 9, for a book for which the usage right is not associated with the user (refer to Fig. 6), when the usage operation icon R is selected, as illustrated in Fig. 15(B), a license activation confirmation screen for whether to activate an individual license or a shared license is superimposed and displayed on the electronic content information screen.

[0143] On the license activation confirmation screen shown in Fig. 15(B), a cancel icon B1 and an active icon B2 are displayed. When the user selects the cancel icon B1 or performs a selection operation on a screen other than the active icon B2, the license activation confirmation screen is closed. On the other hand, when the active icon B2 is selected, a display indicating that the process is in progress is shown while the server 100 is executing the process of activating the license, as in the license activation in-progress screen illustrated in Fig. 15(C). When the process of activating the license is completed and the user data table in Fig. 6 is updated so that the usage right of the book is associated with the user who performed the first use operation, the usage screen of the book is displayed as shown in Fig. 15(D). In the following embodiments, an example will be described in which a user belonging to the unlimited reading plan group transitions to the usage screen in Fig. 15(D) when selecting the usage operation icon R. However, even for a user belonging to the unlimited reading plan group, a license activation confirmation screen or the like illustrated in Fig. 15(B) and (C) may be displayed. Although there is actually no license to be activated (consumed), the user can be given the feeling that the usage right of the book for which the first use operation was performed has been granted.

[0144] Also, when the usage right is associated with the user for a book whose usage status setting is not set, the reading usage status is automatically granted and added to and updated in the usage status table for each user in Fig. 9. In this case, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 15(E), in Fig. 15(A), the current usage status 20 is changed from "Book outside the bookshelf" to "Book being read" and displayed. Also, similar to Fig. 14(C) and (D), 1 is added to the reading in progress RS2, and the book is added to the bookshelf list of the user. Also, the usage status is prioritized over the automatically granted status at the timing of granting the usage right, and the status previously set by the user. Therefore, for a book whose usage status is already set and is inside the bookshelf, the usage status remains the already set usage status, but the last viewing date is displayed. Even if the usage status has been set by the user in advance, the usage status may be automatically updated to the reading in progress status at the timing of granting the usage right.

[0145] <Examples of Processing> Next, with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 16 to 20, the processing executed by the control unit 130 of the server 100 in the present embodiment will be described. The various processes described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 20 are repeatedly executed by the control unit 130 in response to receiving request information (for example, a login request when logging in, a selection operation of a predetermined tab or icon, a synchronization request, etc.) from the user terminal 300 (or the group administrator terminal 200).

[0146] (Examples of Electronic Content Provision-Related Processing) Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 16, an example of the electronic content provision-related processing executed by the server 100 in the present embodiment will be described.

[0147] In step S101, it is determined whether there is a login request from the user terminal 300. When it is determined that there is no login request, the process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S101 that there is a login request, in step S102, it is determined whether the user of the user terminal 300 that made the login request belongs to a valid group. That is, it is determined whether the user belongs to a group whose contract status is valid in FIG. 5.

[0148] When it is determined in step S102 that the user belongs to a valid group, in step S103, the electronic content search screen display process is executed. When the electronic content search screen display process is executed, the search screen of the electronic content illustrated in FIG. 10 is displayed on the user terminal 300, and the user can search for books within the group or in the store.

[0149] On the other hand, in step S102, when it is determined that the user does not belong to a valid group, the process ends. For example, when a login request is received from user u55 who belongs to group G50 with an invalid contract status in Fig. 5, the process ends. At this time, for example, the server 100 may send information to display a notification screen indicating that login is not permitted to the user terminal 300 of user u55.

[0150] In step S104, it is determined whether a request to display an electronic content search screen has been made. For example, when the book search TB1 is selected and it is determined in step S104 that a request to display an electronic content search screen has been made, the process returns to step S103 and the electronic content search screen display process is executed.

[0151] On the other hand, in step S104, when it is determined that a request to display an electronic content search screen has not been made, in step S105, it is determined whether a request to display a review screen has been made. For example, when the review TB2 is selected and it is determined in step S105 that a request to display a review screen has been made, the review list screen display process is executed in step 106. When the review list screen display process is executed, the review list screen in Fig. 11(A) is displayed on the user terminal 300 that made the display request, and the process proceeds to step S115.

[0152] In step S105, when it is determined that a request to display a review screen has not been made, in step S107, it is determined whether a request to display a list of affiliated members has been made. For example, when the member TB3 is selected, the affiliated member list screen display process is executed in step S108. When the affiliated member list screen display process is executed, the affiliated member list screen in Fig. 11(B) is displayed on the user terminal 300 of the user who made the display request, and the process proceeds to step S115.

[0153] In step S107, when it is not determined that there is a request to display the list screen of affiliated members, it is determined in step S109 whether there is a request to display the my page. For example, when the my page TB4 is selected, the my page display process is executed in step S110. When the my page display process is executed, the my page screen illustrated in FIG. 12(B) is displayed and the process ends.

[0154] In step S109, when it is not determined that there is a request to display the my page, it is determined in step S111 whether there is a selection operation of the usage screen tool. The usage screen tool is an icon, tab, etc. for displaying the browsing screen of a book. For example, when Book ReaderTB5 is selected, it is determined in step S111 that there is a selection operation of the usage screen tool, and the usage screen of the electronic content used last time is displayed in step S112, and the process proceeds to step S115.

[0155] In step S111, when it is not determined that there is a selection operation of the usage screen tool, it is determined whether there is any other operation except the end operation (for example, an operation to log out or close the browser). When it is determined in step S111 that there is any other operation (for example, various setting operations or a selection operation of a notification, etc.), the process corresponding to the other operation is executed in step S114, and the process proceeds to step S115.

[0156] In step S115, it is determined whether there is an end operation. The end operation is, for example, an operation to log out or close the application (such as a WEB browser application or a dedicated native application for using the provided system 1). When it is determined in step S115 that there is an end operation, the process ends. On the other hand, when it is not determined that there is an end operation, the process returns to step S104, and the process (such as the process corresponding to the request received last time) is repeatedly executed.

[0157] (Example of Electronic Content Information Screen Display Process) Next, with reference to FIG. 17, an example of the electronic content information screen display process executed by the server 100 in the present embodiment will be described. The electronic content information screen display process is a process for causing the user terminal 300 to display the detailed screen of the book in FIG. 13 when a selection operation of the book displayed in FIGS. 10 to 12 etc. is performed.

[0158] In step S201, it is determined whether the selected book is electronic content associated with the group to which the user belongs, exemplified with reference to FIG. 5. When it is determined in step S201 that the book is electronic content associated with the group, in step 202, information for displaying an electronic content information screen with a usage operation unit is transmitted to the user terminal 300. For example, a screen of detailed information of the book in which the usage operation icon R (read) exemplified in FIGS. 13(A) and (B) is displayed is displayed.

[0159] In step S204, it is determined whether there has been a selection operation on the usage operation unit. When it is determined that there has been a selection operation on the usage operation unit, in step S205, the usage screen providing process described later with reference to FIG. 20 is executed and the process ends. For example, when the usage operation icon R in FIG. 13 is selected, it is determined that there has been a selection operation on the usage operation unit.

[0160] Returning to step S201, when it is not determined that the selected book is electronic content associated with the group, in step S203, an electronic content information screen without a usage operation unit, exemplified in FIG. 13(C), is displayed.

[0161] When it is determined in step S204 that there has been no selection operation on the usage operation unit, or when, in step S203, after the electronic content information screen without a usage operation unit is displayed, in step S206, it is determined whether there has been a selection operation on the usage status tabs (RS1 to RS3). When it is determined that there has been a selection operation on the usage status tab, in step S207, a matching member list display process that matches the selected usage status is performed. For example, when the reading RS2 of the usage status tab illustrated in FIG. 13 is selected, as illustrated in FIG. 13(D), a process is performed to display a list on the user terminal 300 of users whose usage status of book 2 is set to reading.

[0162] When it is determined that there has been no selection operation on the usage status tab, in step S208, it is determined whether there has been a usage status setting operation. When it is determined that there has been a usage status setting operation, in step S209, the usage status update process described with reference to FIG. 14 is performed. For example, when the user selects the usage status setting icon ST on the electronic content information screen of FIG. 13 and selects "read" for the usage status of the book, the usage status table of FIG. 9 is updated so that it is reflected on the electronic content information screen based on the updated usage status and the member screen (including the my page) for each user terminal 300 (for example, FIGS. 14(C) and (D)).

[0163] When it is determined in step S208 that there has been no setting operation for the usage status, in step S210, it is determined whether there has been a selection operation on the members who have been reviewed. When it is determined that there has been no selection operation on the members who have been reviewed, the process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that there has been a selection operation on the members who have been reviewed, in step S211, a member screen display process described later with reference to FIG. 18 is performed, and the process ends. For example, when the user name or the like of any member is selected from the reviews displayed on the detailed screen for each book illustrated in FIG. 13, a process is performed so that the member screen (including the my page) of FIG. 12 is displayed.

[0164] (Example of member screen display process) Next, with reference to FIG. 18, an example of member screen display processing executed by the server 100 in the present embodiment will be described. The member screen display processing is executed in response to a selection operation of the user name or the like of any member in the review screen of FIG. 11(A) displayed in steps S106 and S108 of FIG. 16 described above, the affiliated member list screen, the list display screen of matching members of FIG. 13(D) displayed in step S207 of FIG. 17, or when a selection operation of the member reviewed in step S210 of FIG. 17 is performed.

[0165] In step S301, it is determined whether the user who selected the user name or the like is the user himself / herself who performed the selection operation. When it is determined that the user is the user himself / herself who performed the selection operation, in step S302, the my page display processing described later with reference to FIG. 19 is performed, and the processing ends.

[0166] On the other hand, in step S301, when it is not determined that the selected user is the user himself / herself who performed the selection operation, that is, when the selected user is another user different from the user who performed the selection operation, in step S303, a process of displaying the usage status of the books of the selected other user is performed. For example, in the review list screen of FIG. 11(A), when user u1 selects the user name or the like of user u2, a process for displaying the member screen showing the usage status of user u2 in FIG. 12(A) on the user terminal 300 of user u1 is performed.

[0167] In step S304, it is determined whether there is a selection operation of the usage status tab. When it is not determined that there is a selection operation of the usage status tab, the process proceeds to step S306. When it is determined that there is a selection operation of the usage status tab, a process of extracting and displaying the operated usage status from the usage status of the selected user is performed in step S305. For example, in the member screen of user u2 in FIG. 12(A), when the read RS3 is selected, the books associated with reading for user u2 in the usage status table illustrated in FIG. 9 are displayed in a list on the user screen.

[0168] Next, in step S306, it is determined whether there is a request to display an electronic content information screen. When it is determined that there is no request to display an electronic content information screen, the process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a request to display an electronic content information screen, in step S307, the electronic content information screen display process described above with reference to FIG. 17 is performed, and the process ends. For example, when any book displayed on the member screen of FIG. 12(A) is selected, the electronic content information screen of FIG. 13 of the book is displayed.

[0169] (Example of My Page Screen Display Process) Next, with reference to FIG. 19, an example of the my page screen display process executed by the server 100 in the present embodiment will be described. The my page screen display process is a process executed when there is a my page display request (for example, step S110 in FIG. 16 in response to the selection operation of my page TB4, step S302 in FIG. 18 in response to the fact that the user who selected the user name or the like is the user himself who performed the operation, etc.).

[0170] In step S401, a process of displaying the usage status of the user is performed. That is, the usage status of the user who made the my page display request is displayed on the my page of FIG. 12(B) based on the usage status table stored in FIG. 9.

[0171] Next, in step S402, it is determined whether there is a request to display an electronic content information screen. When it is determined that there is a request to display an electronic content information screen, in step S403, the electronic content information screen display process described above with reference to FIG. 17 is performed, and the process ends.

[0172] In step S402, when it is determined that there is no request for displaying the electronic content information screen, in step S404, it is determined whether there is a selection operation on the usage operation part of the electronic content. When it is determined that there is a selection operation on the usage operation part, in step S405, the usage screen providing process described later with reference to FIG. 20 is executed and the process ends. For example, when the usage operation icon R displayed for each book on the my page in FIG. 12(B) is selected, the usage screen providing process is executed.

[0173] In step S404, when it is determined that there is no selection operation on the usage operation part of the electronic content, in step S406, it is determined whether there is a selection operation on the usage status tab. When it is determined that there is no selection operation on the usage status tab, the process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a selection operation on the usage status tab, the electronic content of the operated usage status is extracted and displayed in step S407, and the process returns to step S402. For example, when the reading RS3 in the usage status tab on the my page screen in FIG. 12(B) is selected, as illustrated in FIG. 12(C), among the books in the user's bookshelf, the books whose usage status is set to reading are extracted and displayed.

[0174] (Example of usage screen providing process) Next, with reference to FIG. 20, an example of the usage screen providing process executed by the server 100 in the present embodiment will be described. The usage screen providing process is a process executed in response to the selection operation of the usage operation icon R, which is a usage operation part displayed on the user's usage status screens such as the electronic content information screen in FIG. 13, the member screen in FIG. 12, and the my page screen (steps S204 to S205 in FIG. 17, steps S404 to S405 in FIG. 19, etc.).

[0175] In step S501, it is determined whether the user who has performed the selection operation on the usage operation unit has already been granted the right to use the electronic content. If the usage right has already been granted, in step S514, the usage screen display process of the electronic content is performed, and the process ends. For example, when user u1 selects the usage operation icon R for a book to which the usage right is already associated, a book browsing screen as shown in FIG. 15(D) is displayed.

[0176] When it is determined in step S501 that the usage right of the electronic content has not been granted, in step S502, it is determined whether the usage plan of the group to which the user belongs is a license purchase plan. When it is determined in step S502 that the usage plan of the group is a license purchase plan, the process proceeds to step S503, and it is determined whether there is a remaining number of individual licenses.

[0177] When it is determined in step S503 that there is a remaining number of individual licenses, in step S505, the license activation confirmation screen illustrated in FIG. 15(B) is displayed. On the other hand, when it is not determined in step S503 that there is a remaining number of individual licenses, that is, when it is determined that the remaining number is 0, in step S504, it is determined whether there is a remaining number of shared licenses. When it is determined in step S504 that there is a remaining number of shared licenses, in step S505, the license activation confirmation screen illustrated in FIG. 15(B) is displayed.

[0178] On the other hand, when it is not determined in step S504 that there is a remaining number of shared licenses, since there is no license to be activated to grant the usage right, in step S506, the user terminal 300 is notified that there is no remaining number, and the process ends. Note that when it is not determined in step S503 that there is a remaining number of individual licenses, even if there is a remaining number of shared licenses, the user may be notified that there is no remaining number of individual licenses.

[0179] Return to step S505. When the license activation confirmation screen is displayed, it is determined in step S507 whether an execution selection has been made. If it is determined that an execution selection has been made, license activation processing is performed in step S508. For example, if the user who selects the usage operation unit is u1, since the usage plan belongs to group G1 whose usage plan is the license purchase plan, refer to the data table for each group illustrated in FIG. 5, and it is determined in step S502 that the usage plan of the belonging group is the license purchase plan. Also, if it is user u2, as shown in FIG. 6, since the remaining number of personal licenses is 0, it is not determined in step S504 that there is a remaining number of personal licenses. However, since there are 30 remaining shared licenses in the belonging group G1, it is determined in step S505 that there is a remaining number of shared licenses.

[0180] On the other hand, when it is not determined in step S507 that an execution selection has been made, it is determined in step S510 whether any other operation has been performed. When it is not determined that any other operation has been performed, the process returns to step S507. When it is determined in step S510 that any other operation has been performed, the electronic content information screen display process described above is performed with reference to FIG. 17 in step S511 and the process ends. For example, on the license activation confirmation screen of FIG. 15(B), when a click (tap) operation is performed on other parts on the screen excluding the selection operation of the cancel icon B1 and the operation of the valid icon B2, it is determined in step S510 that any other operation has been performed, and the detailed screen of the book in FIG. 15(A) is displayed again.

[0181] In step S509, the usage right of the electronic content is associated with (granted to) the user, and the initial usage log for paying royalties to the seller is updated. For example, when the valid icon B2 in FIG. 15(B) is selected, it is determined that an execution selection has been made, and a process of displaying the screen during activation execution in FIG. 15(C) on the user terminal 300 is executed, and a book associated with the usage right is added and updated in the user-by-user data table in FIG. 6. Also, in the initial usage log table in FIG. 8, information on the initial usage operation of the book (such as the initial usage date and time illustrated in FIG. 8) is added and updated to pay royalties to the publisher of the book.

[0182] Return to step S502. When it is not determined that the usage plan of the group to which the user belongs is a license purchase plan, proceed to step S509. For example, in the case of a user belonging to groups G2 and G5 in FIG. 5, since it is an unlimited reading plan, without activating the license, the user is granted the usage right for the book on which the user has performed the initial usage operation, and the initial usage log is updated so that royalties are paid to the publisher of the book.

[0183] After the usage right is granted and the initial usage log is updated in step S509, in step S512, it is determined whether the usage status of the electronic content is not set. When it is determined that the usage status is not set, the usage status update process is performed in step S513, and the electronic content usage screen display process is executed in step S514. For example, when the usage right is granted for a book not associated with the user in the usage status table, the book is added to the user in the usage status table, and the usage status is set to read and updated. By executing the usage status update process, as illustrated in FIG. 15(D), the display of "Books outside the bookshelf" in the current usage status 20 is changed and displayed as "Books being read". Note that, as illustrated in FIG. 14 and the like, even for a book whose usage status is automatically set to being read, it can be changed and updated to any usage status desired by the user based on the operation on the user's usage status setting icon ST.

[0184] Return to step S512. Since the usage status has already been set, when it is not determined that the usage status is not set, in step S514, perform the electronic content usage screen display process and end the process.

[0185] <Example of purchase log> Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 21, an example of a log table when a book related to a group is purchased by the group administrator will be described. This purchase of a book means, for example, that a company administrator or the like selects a book that they want employees to read and registers it on the company's bookshelf. In this embodiment, when registering a new book on the group's bookshelf (associating new electronic content with the group), in addition to the payment according to the usage plan, it includes companies that require a book purchase fee as a bookshelf registration fee and companies that do not require a purchase fee (as long as there is a payment according to the usage plan).

[0186] In the purchase log table of FIG. 21, the "Group ID" for which the book selection was made, the "Content ID" for which the book selection was made, the "Group bookshelf registration date" which is the date of the book selection, the "Book body price", "Discount price", "Consumption tax", and "Billing amount" of the book are associated.

[0187] For example, the book selection person of the group displays the store search screen of FIG. 10(B) on the group administrator terminal 200 and selects a book that they want to associate with the group from the un-purchased books. Also, when each book is selected, a detailed book screen as illustrated in FIG. 13(C) is displayed, and if there are settings of the usage status and review submissions of users within the group, these can be used as a reference for book selection. Since the groups G1 and G2 in FIG. 21 are groups that do not require a book purchase fee, the "Discount price" is the same as the "Book body price" and the "Billing amount" is 0 yen. On the other hand, since the group G8 is a group that requires a purchase fee, there is no "Discount price", and the sum of the "Book body price" and "Consumption tax" is entered in the "Billing amount".

[0188] <Regarding the case where electronic content associated with the right of use becomes unavailable> In this embodiment, for electronic content to which a user has been granted the right of use, there are no restrictions on the viewing period or the number of simultaneous owners for the entire group or individual users, unlike conventional companies, school libraries, or conventional unlimited access services. In principle, the user is granted the right of use without restrictions on the period, number of times, or number of owners, similar to books purchased individually by the user. However, when the user no longer belongs to the group, that is, when the user resigns or withdraws, the electronic content to which the right of use has been granted may be made unavailable. For example, when a request for login (synchronization request) to the e-book service of the providing system 1 is made from the user terminal 300 of a user who has been deleted (removed) from the group and is no longer affiliated with the group by an operation on the group administrator terminal 200 by the group administrator, the server 100 (for example, the user management unit 134, the group management unit 133) executes a process of rejecting the login request.

[0189] Also, when electronic content information (for example, EPUB data) has been downloaded to the user terminal 300 of a user who is no longer affiliated with the group, when the server 100 receives information requesting synchronization from the user terminal 300 due to a login request or the like, the control unit 130 (for example, the content management unit 132, the user management unit 134, etc.) transmits information to the user terminal 300 for disabling the electronic content information stored in the user terminal 300. Also, when it is determined that the user is no longer affiliated based on the information received from the server 100 by the dedicated native application of the providing system 1 downloaded to the user terminal 300, a process of deleting the electronic content information stored in the terminal is executed. Alternatively, a process of deleting the electronic content information associated with the right of use stored for each user in the server 100 may be performed.

[0190] The deactivation includes not only deleting electronic content information (such as EPUB files) on the server 100 or the user terminal 300, but also, for example, deleting the encryption key for decrypting the content information, newly generating an encryption key for decrypting based on license authentication information (rendering the old key unusable), or transmitting license authentication information from the server 100 to the user terminal 300 that makes the encryption key stored in the user terminal 300 unusable for decryption.

[0191] In addition, an expiration date (viewing period (e.g., one week, etc.)) may be set for the access information for accessing electronic content. When a synchronization request is made from the user terminal 300, if the user belongs to a valid group, the server 100 may transmit information approving the extension of the expiration date to the user terminal 300 to enable viewing of the book. Therefore, deactivation may include cases where, when a synchronization request is made from the user terminal 300 of a user who does not belong to the group, the server 100 does not approve the extension of the expiration date and the expiration date of the electronic content information stored in the storage unit 320 of the user terminal 300 expires, resulting in the inability to view the book on the user terminal 300. Alternatively, deactivation may include cases where non - affiliated users are not allowed to re - download electronic content information (such as EPUB files, encryption keys), and when the electronic content information of the book is deleted from the storage unit 320 of the user terminal 300, the book cannot be viewed.

[0192] <Modification Example> Modification examples of the above - described embodiments are listed below.

[0193] <Regarding the trial use of electronic content without granted usage rights> (The first form of processing by the trial reading operation) In the above-described embodiment, as an initial use operation, an operation of selecting the usage operation icon R of electronic content for which the usage right has not yet been granted to the user, or a confirmation operation of granting the usage right for the license activation confirmation screen described in FIG. 15 or the like displayed by selecting the usage operation icon R is exemplified. By granting the usage right through the initial use operation, an example was described in which the user can use the electronic content (a usage screen of the electronic content that can display a book for viewing) was displayed. However, alternatively or in addition, when an operation is performed by the user to execute a trial use of electronic content for which the usage right has not been granted (hereinafter referred to as a trial reading operation), the server 100 determines that there has been an initial use operation and grants the usage right. Until the end condition of the trial reading is satisfied, the electronic content for which the trial reading operation has been performed may be made available for use. For example, when a trial reading operation is performed by the user, a process of granting the usage right of the book for which the trial reading operation has been performed to the user is executed (a part of step S509 in FIG. 20). When the end condition of the trial reading is satisfied, a confirmation screen or the like for prompting a selection of whether to grant the usage right is displayed. When there is a confirmation operation for granting the usage right (when the condition for continuing the use is satisfied), the initial use log may be updated (a part of step S509 in FIG. 20). Even after the confirmation operation, the usage right that has already been granted may be maintained as it is, or a process of newly re-granting this usage right to the user may be performed. When a confirmation screen is displayed due to the end condition being satisfied, if the confirmation operation is not performed, the usage right granted by the trial reading operation is cancelled, and the initial use log is not updated. When the initial use log is updated based on the trial reading operation (the timing of updating the initial use log, or when it is recorded in the user database in FIG. 6 and added to the user's bookshelf exemplified in FIG. 12 and is scheduled to update the initial use log), the usage right (the usage right already granted by the trial reading and maintained as it is, or this usage right newly re-granted to the user) is a usage right without any special restrictions (for example, the number of simultaneous viewers, the usage period, the number of usage times, etc.) as in the above-described embodiment.In addition, when the end condition is satisfied, the initial use log may be automatically updated without requiring the display of a confirmation screen or a confirmation operation (assuming that the condition for continuing use is satisfied).

[0194] Also, even for a book that has been previewed once and for which the initial use log has not been updated automatically or by a confirmation operation, the right to use may be granted again by performing a preview operation again later, and then the initial use log may be updated by performing a confirmation operation or the like thereafter so that the granted right to use has no restrictions. Alternatively, a limit may be set on the number of times a user can perform a preview (for example, only once), and when the limit on the number of preview times is exceeded, a new initial use operation (selection of the use operation icon R or confirmation operation for license activation in FIG. 15(B)) exemplified in the above-described embodiment may be performed so that the right to use is granted in step S509 of FIG. 20 and the initial use log is updated.

[0195] The end conditions for the trial reading include, for example, a predetermined range of the e-book (e.g., 3% of the entire e-book from the beginning of the book (the entire text data or the number of pages, etc.)) or a predetermined viewable time (e.g., 3 minutes, etc.) after the e-book usage screen (such as the viewing screen in FIG. 15(D)) is opened. Until the predetermined range of the book that is the end condition or the viewable time of the book, even for a user who has not been granted the usage right, when it is determined that a trial reading operation has been performed, the usage right is temporarily granted and the trial reading becomes possible. When it is determined that the viewing range of the book exceeds the predetermined range or the viewing of the book has passed the viewable time, for a user belonging to the license purchase plan group, an activation confirmation screen (such as the modal exemplified in FIG. 15(B)) that displays a message such as "You need to activate the license to continue reading. Do you want to activate it?" is displayed. When an operation to enable it is performed by the user (corresponding to steps S502 to S508 in FIG. 20), a process of updating the first-time usage log (corresponding to a part of step S509 in FIG. 20) may be executed. As described above, even for an unlimited reading plan, although there is no license to be activated (decreased by consumption), a license activation confirmation screen may be displayed as a confirmation screen, and a process of updating the first-time usage log may be executed when there is a confirmation operation.

[0196] The trial reading operation includes, for example, selecting the usage operation icon R for a book without usage rights granted, displaying a message "Do you want to do a trial reading?" due to the selection of the usage operation icon R, and the user performing an operation on the icon to execute the trial reading, displaying a trial reading icon or the like that can be recognized as enabling the trial reading, and selecting the trial reading icon. Also, when the first-time usage log is automatically updated in response to the trial reading operation, when the end condition is satisfied (for example, the timing when the end condition is met, or the previous timing (for example, when the content of the book displayed on the usage screen reaches 2% from the beginning of the book, or when 2 minutes have elapsed since the start of browsing)), a message such as "The trial reading will end soon. By continuing to browse like this, the usage rights of the book will be granted and this book will be added to your bookshelf" may be displayed.

[0197] (Second form of processing by trial reading operation) In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example where electronic content cannot be used without the grant of the right of use was described. However, during the trial use period until the end condition is satisfied, it may be possible to use the content even without the grant of the right of use. For example, until the end condition is satisfied, it may be possible to view a book even without the grant of the right of use. After the end condition is satisfied, a confirmation screen indicating the grant of the right of use may be displayed. If the confirmation operation for granting the right of use is not performed, the right of use will not be granted, and thus viewing may not be possible. Also in this case, similar to the first embodiment described above, the end condition includes a predetermined range of the book, the available viewing time of the book, and the like. For example, when there is a trial reading operation from a user for a book without the grant of the right of use, a process of making the book viewable (for example, displaying a usage screen) is performed. When the end condition is satisfied, for a user belonging to the license purchase plan group, an activation confirmation screen (for example, a modal exemplified in FIG. 15(B)) is displayed. When the user performs an enabling operation (corresponding to steps S502 to S508 in FIG. 20), the right of use of the book may be associated with the user as if it were the first use operation, and a process of updating the first use log (granting process corresponding to step S509 in FIG. 20) may be executed.

[0198] <Regarding the usage plan> In the above-described embodiment, an example where the license purchase plan and the unlimited reading plan coexist was described for the usage plan of the group described with reference to FIG. 5 and the like. For electronic content for which the right of use is not associated with a user belonging to the group, as long as the right of use is granted to the user in response to the first use operation from the user, and the first use log in FIG. 8, which serves as a log for paying royalties to the publisher, is recorded, it may be only one of the two plans.

[0199] <Regarding the license> In the above-described embodiment, an example where the "license purchase plan" is a plan for regular monthly purchases has been described. However, it is not limited to this, and instead of regular purchases, whenever there is a desire to purchase from a group (for example, when an operation to purchase a license is performed on the group administrator terminal 200, or when the administrator of the provision system 1 is notified of the desire to purchase), a predetermined number of licenses may be purchasable.

[0200] Also, in the above-described embodiment, an example where a license is added by an additional purchase operation by the group administrator has been described for the additional purchase of the "license purchase plan". However, it is not limited to this, and instead of this, or in addition to this, an automatic billing system may be adopted, and when the number of licenses reaches a predetermined remaining number (for example, zero, 2, etc.), the control unit 130 may update the group information 122 and user information 123 in the storage unit 120 so that additional licenses are associated with the group or the user. Regarding the additional license purchase, an example where the payment amount is associated with the group management table in FIG. 5 has been described, but the number of licenses purchased additionally may be associated.

[0201] Also, regarding the additional license purchase shown in FIG. 5, an icon for performing an operation to request additional licenses, an application form, etc. may be displayed on the user terminal 300, and when the affiliated user desires to replenish an individual license (or it may be a shared license), additional request information may be transmitted to the group administrator terminal 200. Also, the licenses purchased additionally are not limited to shared licenses, and may be purchased as individual licenses.

[0202] The purchase unit of additional licenses may be purchasable in predetermined units (e.g., 10 - license units, etc.) determined in advance by the administrator of the provision system 1, or may be purchasable in the number of units desired by the group administrator (e.g., 1 license, etc.). Note that the license is not limited to being added retrospectively. For example, in the case of having too many licenses, an operation to reduce them retrospectively from the group administrator terminal 200 (e.g., an operation to return a part of the licenses to the provision system 1, or an operation to reduce the licenses assigned to each affiliated user as individual licenses and return them to shared licenses) may be possible.

[0203] Also, the "shared license" and the "individual license" may be reset monthly, even if there is a remaining number of licenses (remaining shared / individual license numbers) as explained in FIG. 5, FIG. 6, etc. Alternatively, the remaining number may be accumulated. For example, the licenses of the previous month may be carried over to the next month and accumulated, or the period for accumulation may be limited (e.g., the accumulated licenses become invalid in the month after next). Or, either one of the "shared license" and the "individual license" (e.g., the shared license) may be reset, while the other (the individual license) may be accumulable without being reset.

[0204] In the above - described embodiment, the "license purchase plan" has been described with an example including both "shared licenses" and "individual licenses", etc. However, only either "shared licenses" or "individual licenses" may be included in the plan.

[0205] Also, the number of individual licenses assigned to each person can be less than the total number of shared licenses (for example, 5 licenses are granted per user and the total number of shared licenses is 10, etc.), or more (for example, 10 licenses are granted per user and the total number of shared licenses is 5, etc.). Or, it can be the same number (for example, 5 licenses per user and the total number of shared licenses is also 5, etc.). In this way, by granting at least one or more individual licenses to each user, it is possible to ensure the opportunity for the affiliated user to be granted the right to use.

[0206] Also, the total number of individual licenses (number of users N × number of licenses per user) and the total number of shared licenses may be the same number or may be granted so that either one is larger. Regarding the activation of shared licenses, a limit may be set on the number of licenses that can be activated per user. This can prevent some users from having too many licenses activated.

[0207] In the above-described embodiment, as described in steps S504 to S505 of FIG. 20, an example in which individual licenses are preferentially activated when there are individual licenses has been described. However, it is not limited to this. When it is determined that the user belongs to the group of license purchase plans in step S502 of FIG. 20 and there are remaining numbers of both individual licenses and shared licenses, the user may be able to select whether to activate either the shared license or the individual license. Also, the shared license may be preferentially activated.

[0208] <Regarding an example of the screen display mode> In the above-described embodiments, an example has been described in which, by selecting operation of various tabs such as usage status tabs RS1 to RS3, review RTB, and likeability LTB displayed on the user usage status screen of FIG. 12 and the electronic content details screen of FIG. 13, a part of the screen is switched and displayed so that information corresponding to the selected tab is displayed. However, not limited to this, when various tabs are selected and operated, it may be configured to transition to different screens and display a list or the like. Note that, although an example has been illustrated in which the screen on which the selected tab is highlighted, the tab may be selected and the display mode of the tab may not change.

[0209] Also, regarding the electronic content information screen of FIG. 13, an example has been described in which the display mode changes depending on whether the usage status is set, but the display mode may be changed depending on whether the user is granted the right to use. For example, regardless of whether the usage status is set, an icon or the like (e.g., for users in a license purchase plan group, a message such as "This is a book with a valid license" for a book for which the right to use is granted) that allows the user to recognize whether the right to use is granted may be displayed.

[0210] <Regarding Usage Status> In the above-described embodiments, with reference to FIG. 14 and the like, an example has been described in which it is possible to set the usage status and post a review even for un-purchased books and books for which the right to use is not granted. However, not limited to this, it may be configured such that the setting of the usage status and the like can be made only for books associated with a group and books for which the right to use is granted.

[0211] <Regarding the Usable Range of Electronic Content> In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which if a book is associated with a group exemplified in FIG. 5 or the like, the user can perform an initial use operation and use the book. However, it is not limited to this, and even if a book is associated with the group to which the user belongs, the range of electronic content that can be used may be restricted according to the user's attributes and the like. For example, if the group is a company, the books that the group administrator wants the user to read may differ depending on the user's position and department. In that case, only the books suitable for the user's attributes such as position may be made available, or they may be displayed as books associated with the group.

[0212] <Regarding the occurrence of royalty> In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which, regarding the occurrence of royalty to the seller, in response to the user's initial use operation, the initial use log is updated and a process for granting the seller a consideration corresponding to the royalty is performed. In addition to this, royalty may be generated in response to the purchase (selection of books) of books associated with the group by the group administrator described with reference to FIG. 21. For example, information for determining the amount of royalty such as the royalty rate is associated with the purchase log in FIG. 21 and stored in the storage unit 120 like the initial use log in FIG. 8, and similar to the example of calculating the amount of royalty paid to the seller based on the initial use operation described with reference to FIG. 8, the amount of royalty paid to the seller based on the purchase of books by the group administrator may be calculated.

[0213] <Regarding the seller to whom royalty is paid> In the above-described embodiments, an example in which the seller from whom royalties are generated is a publisher or an author has been described. However, the seller to whom royalties are paid may include an e-book intermediary who mediates between a plurality of publishers and an e-book store (provision system 1). For example, when calculating the total amount of royalties for each publisher (or for each book, which may also be possible) of the first-use log recorded in response to the user's first-use operation illustrated in FIG. 8, etc., an amount obtained by further multiplying the total amount by the royalty rate for the e-book intermediary may be calculated by the operation of the operator of the provision system 1, or may be output to the terminal operated by the operator of the provision system 1 for each predetermined period. Note that the calculation of the royalties paid to the intermediary is not limited to the same timing as the timing of calculating the amount of royalties paid to the seller, and may be performed at different timings. For example, each time there is a first-use operation, the amount of royalties paid to the intermediary may be calculated based on the information recorded in the first-use log of FIG. 8.

[0214] <Example of Processing on User Terminal> A part of the processing in the distribution server 100 described in the above embodiment may be performed on the user terminal 300. For example, a dedicated native app or the like pre-downloaded to the user terminal 300 is launched, and based on the information received from the server 100 last time in advance, even in an offline environment, the processing of the screens after step S103 in FIG. 16 is executed on the user terminal 300. For a book for which electronic content information has been downloaded (a book with usage rights granted), in the my page screen display processing in step S110, FIG. 19, etc., when the usage operation icon R (usage operation unit) is selected, usage screen provision processing such as step S405 in FIG. 19 may be performed.

[0215] <Specific Examples and Examples of Effects> (1) In the above-described embodiment, in the electronic content providing system 1, in accordance with the collection of usage fees for using the electronic content providing system 1 from a group such as a company or an educational institution, from when the contract status becomes valid until the contract status becomes invalid, the e-books associated with each group in FIG. 5 are in a state where they can be viewed by users such as employees or students belonging to the group. Also, in the viewable state, in response to receiving a first-time use operation such as a selection operation on a use operation icon R or the like from a user belonging to the group to view an e-book for which the use right has not yet been granted among the e-books associated with the group, in step S509 of FIG. 20, in order to grant a consideration corresponding to the royalty from the usage fees (plan fee, shelf registration fee, etc.) collected from the group to the seller (publisher, copyright holder, etc.) of the e-book, a process of recording the e-book for which the first-time use operation has occurred in the first-time use log of FIG. 8, and a process of updating by associating the ID of the book for which the first-time use operation has occurred with the user in the content ID with granted use right in the user data table of FIG. 6 to grant the use right of the e-book to the user can be performed. An e-book for which the use right has been granted to a user can be viewed by the user based on a selection operation on the Book ReaderTB5 or the use operation icon R from the user. As a result, in response to the first-time use by a user belonging to an enterprise or the like, while enabling the user to view the e-books desired by the user with the consideration of the usage fees and the like borne by the enterprise or the like, an opportunity to generate royalties to the seller of the e-book with the consideration borne by the group can also be ensured.

[0216] (2) In the above-described embodiment, an e-book for which the use right has been granted to a user by a first-time use operation can be viewed without restrictions such as the number of uses, viewing period, or number of simultaneous viewers until the contract status of the group becomes invalid or the user becomes non-affiliated with the group. As a result, since the use right granted to the user in response to the first-time use operation can basically be used by the user without restrictions, the convenience for the user is improved.

[0217] (3) In the above-described embodiment, based on the information recorded in the user usage status table of FIG. 9, reading information such as unread, reading, and read of the e-books set for each user can be shared with other users by, for example, displaying the usage status tabs RS1 to RS3 on the member screen of FIG. 12(A) or the electronic content information screen of FIG. 13. As a result, the reading status of the user can be shared among the users belonging to the same group, so that the user can consider the books to be browsed based on the reading status of other users.

[0218] (4) In the above-described embodiment, in response to receiving the first use operation of the book from the user, in steps S512 to S513 of FIG. 20, as illustrated in FIG. 15(E), the reading status of the user for the book is set to reading and updated. As a result, the user can save the trouble of setting the reading status by himself / herself, and the convenience is improved.

[0219] (5) In the above-described embodiment, based on the operation on the member screen such as FIG. 12(A) where the reading status of other users belonging to the same group as the user is displayed, if the selection operation on the usage operation icon R displayed on the member screen or the usage operation icon R on the electronic content information screen of FIG. 13 displayed by selecting the book displayed on the member screen is the first use operation, in step S509 of FIG. 20, the usage right of the book for which the first use operation is performed is granted to the user who performed the operation, so that the user can view the book as it is. As a result, it becomes easier for the user to start browsing the e-book based on the information obtained from the usage status screen, and the convenience of the user is improved.

[0220] (6) In the above-described embodiments, a usage status setting icon ST that enables the reading status of books to be set for each book according to user operations is displayed on the electronic content information screen of FIG. 13 or the like. As illustrated in the screen example of FIG. 14, according to a selection operation on the usage status setting icon ST, the reading status for each user stored in the usage status table of FIG. 9 or the like can be updated. In addition, for books for which the user can set the reading status, even if they are books other than those with usage rights granted or books associated with a group, as long as they are books managed by the providing system 1, the reading status can be set. As a result, more information about books within the group can be shared with other users.

[0221] (7) In the above-described embodiments, for a user belonging to a group that uses a license purchase plan, based on the first use operation on a book by the user, the license is activated in steps S503 to S508 of FIG. 20, and the usage right of the book is granted to the user in step S509. The consideration collected from the group of the license purchase plan includes consideration corresponding to the number of the licenses. In addition, the license can be used for any book associated with the belonging group, and can be used if there are remaining shares of the shared license in FIG. 5 or remaining personal licenses in FIG. 6. As a result, regardless of the type of book, the usage right is granted up to the remaining number of licenses, so the degree of freedom in selecting the book that the user uses for the first time is improved.

[0222] (8) In the above-described embodiments, the shared license associated with the group described with reference to FIG. 5 or the like is a license that any user belonging to the group can use when performing the first use operation. As a result, in the server 100 or the group administrator terminal 200, the licenses can be managed collectively, making it easier to manage the licenses.

[0223] (9) In the above-described embodiments, the personal license described with reference to FIG. 6 and the like is a license that is assigned to each user and can be activated only by the assigned user himself / herself. As a result, the user can use the personal license to make the first use without hesitation to other users.

[0224] (10) In the above-described embodiments, the license that can be used in the license purchase plan can be added according to conditions such as an additional purchase operation by the group administrator or the remaining number of licenses reaching a predetermined number. Also, when there are too many licenses, the group administrator can return the licenses or perform an operation to change a personal license back to a shared license. As a result, even when the number of licenses decreases or is too large, the number of licenses can be adjusted post facto, increasing the convenience for the group administrator and users.

[0225] (11) In the above-described embodiments, a user belonging to a group using the unlimited reading plan is granted the usage right of the book for which the first use operation has been performed, regardless of the total number of usage rights granted to the users belonging to the group or the number of usage rights already granted to each individual user. Also, the consideration collected from the group using the unlimited reading plan is at least the consideration corresponding to the number of users belonging to the group. As a result, as long as there is a first use operation, the usage right is granted to the user regardless of the number of usage rights, so the group administrator does not need to manage the number of usage rights granted to the affiliated users, etc., reducing the management burden and also improving the convenience for the users.

[0226] (12) In the above-described embodiment, in response to an operation on the group administrator terminal 200, the selected (purchased) book can be newly associated with the group, and the purchase log data in FIG. 21 is updated when the book is selected so that it is possible to bill the registration fee to a group that requires a shelf registration fee for book selection. As a result, a group that requires a shelf registration fee can associate a new book with the group in exchange for the registration fee and allow the affiliated users to use it.

[0227] (13) In the above-described embodiment, when the server 100 receives request information (synchronization request) from the user terminal 300 of a user who has been deleted (disassociated) from the affiliated users by the group administrator and is in an unaffiliated state, the server 100 can perform a process of rejecting the login. Also, the EPUB data of the books stored in the user terminal 300 of the user whose login has been rejected is deleted (disabled). This can prevent a user who has become unaffiliated with the group from illegally viewing books despite being in an unaffiliated state.

[0228] (14) In the above-described embodiment, when a user performs a trial reading operation on an e-book for which the usage right has not been granted, the usage right of the book on which the trial reading operation has been performed is granted to the user (a part of step S509 in FIG. 20), and the book can be viewed. Also, when the viewing range of the book reaches a predetermined range or the available viewing time has elapsed and the end condition of the trial reading is satisfied, a confirmation screen for whether to continue using, such as the license activation confirmation screen in FIG. 15(B), is displayed. When there is a confirmation operation by the user or automatically when the end condition is satisfied, the first use log such as in FIG. 8 can be updated (a part of step S509 in FIG. 20). As a result, the user can trial-read an e-book, check the content of the e-book, and then consider whether to continue using it.

[0229] In the above-described embodiment, when a user performs a trial reading operation on an e-book to which a usage right has not been granted, even an e-book to which a usage right has not been granted to the user can be made viewable until the end condition for the trial reading is satisfied without granting the usage right. Further, when the viewing range of the book reaches a predetermined range or the viewable time has elapsed and the end condition for the trial reading is satisfied, a confirmation screen for whether to continue using, such as the license activation confirmation screen in FIG. 15(B), is displayed. When there is a confirmation operation by the user or automatically when the end condition is satisfied, the usage right for the book can be granted and the first-use log can be updated in step S509 of FIG. 20. As a result, the user can perform a trial reading of the e-book, check the content of the e-book, and then consider whether to continue using it.

[0230] 〔Example of Realization by Software〕 In the above-described embodiments, the various control blocks of the control unit provided in computers such as servers and terminals may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit). When realized by software using a CPU, a computer equipped with a control unit includes a CPU that executes instructions of a program, which is software for realizing each function, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a storage device (collectively referred to as a "recording medium") in which the program and various data are recordable in a readable manner by the computer (or the CPU), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program, and the like. Then, when the computer (or the CPU) reads and executes the program from the recording medium, the object of the present invention is achieved. As the recording medium, a "non-transitory tangible medium" such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) capable of transmitting the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0231] The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of this invention is shown not by the above description but by the claims, and it is intended that all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are included.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0232] 1 Electronic content providing system, 2 Network, 100 Server, 110 Communication unit, 120 Memory unit, 121 Content data, 122 Group information, 123 User information regarding users, 124 First-time usage log data, Usage status data, 126 Purchase log data, 130 Control unit, 131 Data transmission / reception unit, 132 Content management unit, 133 Group usage right management unit, 134 User management unit, 135 Usage right management unit, 136 Usage status management unit, 137 License management unit, 200 Group administrator terminal, 210 Communication unit, 220 Memory unit, 230 Input unit, 240 Output unit, 250 Control unit, 251 Content management unit, 252 Affiliated user management unit, 253 License management unit, 300 User terminal, 310 Communication unit, 320 Memory unit, 330 Input unit, 340 Output unit, 350 Control unit, 351 Information acquisition unit, 352 Input information transmission unit, 352 Display control unit, 353 Content management unit, 355 User management unit, 356 Usage status management unit, 10 Menu area, 11 Search window, 12 Target switching icon, 13 Number of licenses, TB1 Book, TB2 Review, TB3 Member, TB4 My Page, TB5 Book Reader (usage screen tool), RS1 Backlog (usage status tab), RS2 Reading (usage status tab), RS3 Completed (usage status tab), RTB Review, LTB Like, ST Usage status setting icon, R Usage operation icon (usage operation unit), 20 Current usage status, B1 Cancel icon, B2 Valid icon

Claims

1. An electronic content providing system comprising a computer for making electronic content associated with a group among a plurality of electronic contents sold by a seller of the electronic content available to a user belonging to the group, group electronic content management means for associating and managing electronic content for each group, usage state control means for controlling the electronic content associated with the group to be in an available state where the user can use it from when a usage start condition is satisfied in response to the collection of a predetermined consideration from the group until a usage end condition is satisfied, grant processing means for performing a first process of granting a consideration corresponding to a royalty from the predetermined consideration to the seller of the electronic content and a second process of granting the user the right to use the electronic content in response to receiving a first usage operation which is a usage operation from a user belonging to the group who has not been granted the right to use the electronic content with respect to any of the electronic content associated with the group in the available state, and usage means for performing a process for allowing the user to use the electronic content for which the user has been granted the right to use. An electronic content providing system.

2. The usage state control means, controls the usage right for each user granted in response to receiving the first usage operation by the grant processing means to be available to the user without limitation until the usage end condition is satisfied or the user is no longer a member of the group. The electronic content providing system according to claim 1.

3. The electronic content providing system, comprises usage situation management means for managing the usage situation of the electronic content for each user, and usage situation providing means for making the usage situation for each user managed by the usage situation management means available to other users belonging to the same group as the user. The electronic content providing system according to claim 1.

4. The usage situation management means, executes a process of updating the usage situation of the user being managed in association with information indicating that the usage situation of the electronic content for which the first usage operation has been received is in use in response to receiving the first usage operation from the user. The electronic content providing system according to claim 3.

5. The usage situation providing means, By displaying a usage status screen on a user terminal owned by a user that enables identification of the usage status of other users, it is possible to check the usage status of other users. Based on an operation on the usage status screen, it is possible to display a usage operation unit for a user to use electronic content specified from the usage status managed by the usage status management means. When there is an operation from the user on the usage operation unit and the operation is a first-time usage operation, the granting processing means performs the first processing and the second processing, and when the operation is not a first-time usage operation, the usage means performs a process for allowing the user to use electronic content. The electronic content providing system according to claim 3.

6. The usage status providing means Performs a process for displaying a usage status setting unit on a user terminal owned by a user, which enables setting of the usage status of the user's electronic content for each electronic content according to the user operation. The usage status management means performs a process for updating the usage status of the user in response to an operation from the user to the usage status setting unit. Among the plurality of electronic contents, the electronic contents for which settings regarding the usage status can be made by the user operation may include electronic contents for which the user has no granted usage rights in addition to the electronic contents for which the user has been granted usage rights. The electronic content providing system according to claim 3.

7. The predetermined consideration collected from the group is a consideration corresponding to the number of licenses that can grant usage rights. The granting processing means can grant usage rights up to the number of licenses associated with the group regardless of the type of electronic content targeted by the first-time usage operation. The electronic content providing system according to claim 1.

8. The license associated with the group is a license shared among the users belonging to the group. The electronic content providing system according to claim 7.

9. The number of licenses that can grant usage rights is the number of licenses assigned to each user belonging to the group. The electronic content providing system according to claim 7.

10. The usage state control means The electronic content providing system according to claim 7, wherein a process of adding the number of licenses that can grant the usage rights is performed according to an operation by the administrator of the group or according to predetermined conditions.

11. The predetermined consideration collected from the group is at least consideration according to the number of users belonging to the group, The granting processing means performs processing for granting usage rights to the user who has performed the first usage operation in response to receiving the first usage operation from a user belonging to the group, regardless of the number of usage rights granted to the users belonging to the group. The electronic content providing system according to claim 1.

12. The electronic content providing system is equipped with update means for updating the electronic content managed by the group electronic content management means and associated with the group based on an operation on the administrator terminal of the group, The update means can update by associating the new electronic content with the group on the condition that processing for collecting consideration for associating the new electronic content is performed. The electronic content providing system according to claim 1.

13. The computer included in the electronic content distribution system includes a user terminal for a user to use electronic content and a management terminal for managing information for making the electronic content available on the user terminal, The user terminal is equipped with terminal usage management means for making available to the user the electronic content to which the usage rights have been granted to the user who can be specified in response to transmitting request information including information for identifying the user who owns the user terminal to the management terminal, The management terminal is equipped with login management means for executing the login process of the user, and means for disabling the electronic content stored in the user's user terminal based on the user information specified by the login management means. The terminal usage management means makes the electronic content available to the user who has been granted login permission in response to the login permission being granted by the login management means. the login management means updates the affiliation status of the user based on a user affiliation management operation on an administrator screen of the group, which associates the user who belongs to the group with the group and sets the user in an affiliation state, or disassociates the user from the group and sets the user in a non-affiliation state; When receiving request information from a user who has been released by the group administrator and is not in a group membership state, a process of rejecting login is performed; 2. The electronic content providing system of claim 1, wherein the disabling means disables electronic content information of electronic content stored in the user terminal of a user whose login has been rejected by the login management means.

14. the first-time use operation includes a trial operation for accepting an operation for trial use of the electronic content; The granting processing means performing a second process for granting a right to use the electronic content in response to receiving the trial operation; The electronic content provision system of claim 1, wherein after the trial operation is accepted, when the continuation conditions for the user to continue using the electronic content are met, a first process is performed to grant a royalty-based compensation to the seller of the electronic content from the specified compensation.

15. the first-time use operation includes a trial operation for accepting an operation for trial use of the electronic content; The electronic content providing system includes: a trial use means for performing a process to allow a user to use electronic content for which the user has not been granted a usage right in response to receiving the trial use operation; The electronic content provision system described in claim 1, wherein the granting processing means performs the first processing and the second processing when a continuation condition for the user to continue using the electronic content is met after accepting the trial operation.

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