Program and system

Abstract

To provide a program and a system for improving user experience by facilitating sharing of information on electronic content and specification of the information.SOLUTION: A program causes a server or a user terminal to execute processing for displaying any of a plurality of screens including a comment sharing screen for enabling a comment input by a user with respect to available electronic content to be shared with other users, and an electronic content use screen for electronic content in use; to display the comment sharing screen without passing through the electronic content use screen; to execute processing for transitioning to the electronic content use screen of the electronic content that is a target of a comment according to an operation from the user on the comment sharing screen; to display the electronic content use screen without passing through the comment sharing screen; and to execute processing for transitioning to the comment sharing screen including a comment with respect to the electronic content in use according to an operation from the user on the electronic content use screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 22

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program and a system. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there have been known web services that allow users to publish evaluations (for example, reviews) of electronic content (for example, books) to other people (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-24727 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional evaluation and publishing systems for electronic content, even if a review is published, it only conveys individual opinions one-sidedly and does not allow for communication with others. Furthermore, while it is possible to share thoughts about electronic content with others through existing bulletin board systems, users cannot directly access the electronic content being discussed from the bulletin board, and instead have to open a separate medium (e.g., an e-book app or a paper book) that is not linked to the bulletin board to search for the topic. Therefore, conventional methods for sharing topics about electronic content do not allow for fluid sharing of information about electronic content, making it difficult to improve the user experience obtained through electronic content. To share values ​​with others and improve the user experience, it is desirable to make it easier to identify the content of electronic content shared by others and the content of electronic content that users intend to share with others.

[0005] The present invention was devised in light of the above situation, and its purpose is to provide a program and system that can facilitate the sharing and identification of information related to electronic content, thereby improving the user experience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A program according to an aspect of the present invention is a program executed on a computer (e.g., server 100, user terminal 300) that makes a plurality of electronic contents available to a user, The computer a comment sharing screen (e.g., a talk screen in FIGS. 22(B) and (D), a posting modal screen 50 in FIG. 23(C), or a suggestion information modal screen 60 in FIG. 25(B)) for enabling a comment entered by a user on the available electronic content to be shared with other users, and an electronic content use screen for the electronic content currently being used (e.g., a book viewing screen in FIGS. 22(C), 23(A), 25(A), (C), or 15(D)), and functioning as a screen display means (e.g., a control unit 130 (e.g., a data transmission / reception unit 131, a content management unit 132, a user management unit 134), a control unit 350 (e.g., a display control unit 353, a content management unit 354), an output unit 340, etc.); The screen display means The comment sharing screen can be displayed without going through the electronic content usage screen (for example, from the electronic content information screen of FIG. 22(A), the talk list screen of FIG. 22(B) is displayed; steps S608 to S609 of FIG. 26, etc.), and a process for transitioning to the electronic content usage screen of the electronic content that is the subject of the comment can be executed in response to an operation from the user on the comment sharing screen (for example, by selecting a quote Q displayed on the talk screen of book A such as FIG. 22(B), the usage screen of book A is displayed as in FIG. 22(C); by selecting a usage operation icon R displayed on the talk screen such as FIG. 22(B), the usage screen of the book is displayed; steps S705 to S708 of FIG. 27, etc.), The electronic content use screen can be displayed without going through the comment sharing screen (for example, the use operation icon R displayed on the electronic content information screen of FIG. 22(A) or the My Page screen of FIG. 12(B) can be selected and operated, or the Book The ReaderTB5 is operated to display a usage screen (e.g., steps S602 to S603 in FIG. 26), and the electronic content usage screen is operated by the user to transition to a comment sharing screen including comments on the electronic content being used (e.g., a suggestion information modal screen 60 that displays the comments 30 in FIG. 25(B) when the suggestion icon S in FIG. 25(A) is selected, a posting modal screen 50 that displays the comments 30 in FIG. 23(C) that is displayed based on the selection of a specific range in FIG. 23(A), and a talk list screen in FIG. 22(B) that further displays the comments 30 by a predetermined operation on each modal screen (e.g., steps S802, S808 to S809, S815 to S816, S819 to S820, and S823 to S816 in FIG. 28).

[0007] This configuration allows users to transition from a comment sharing screen for electronic content to an electronic content usage screen, and from the electronic content usage screen to a comment sharing screen, improving user convenience. This facilitates sharing and identifying information about electronic content, improving the user experience. Furthermore, since the comment sharing screen can be displayed without going through the electronic content usage screen, and the electronic content usage screen can be displayed without going through the comment sharing screen, users can deepen their interest in the electronic content from comments and vice versa.

[0008] (2) In the above (1), the screen display means On the electronic content use screen, in response to an operation for quoting a specific range designated by the user from within the electronic content being used (for example, an operation for selecting the specific range in FIG. 23(A)), a process (for example, steps S802 to S809 in FIG. 28) for transitioning to a comment input screen (for example, the posting modal screen 50 in FIG. 23(C)) for inputting a comment on the specific range of the electronic content can be executed, On the comment sharing screen, the comment entered on the comment input screen can be shared by displaying it together with the specific range quoted by the operation to quote the specific range (for example, a quoted comment posted in steps S812 to S814 of FIG. 28 and associated with the bulletin board data table of FIG. 24 is displayed together with the quoted text information, and comment 30 is displayed together with quote Q, as in a talk screen such as FIG. 22(B)).

[0009] With this configuration, it is possible to transition from the electronic content usage screen to a comment input screen and enter a comment quoting a specific range of the electronic content, and it is also possible to share a comment quoting a specific range of the electronic content on the comment sharing screen, thereby improving user convenience.

[0010] (3) In the above (2), the screen display means On the comment sharing screen, in response to a user operation on the quoted specific range (for example, a selection operation of quote Q), a process can be executed to transition to an electronic content usage screen displaying the quoted specific range (for example, displaying the usage screen of book A in Figure 22(C) displaying the "A, I, U, E, O..." of book A cited in quote Q in Figure 22(B); steps S705 to S706 in Figure 27, etc.).

[0011] According to this configuration, in the comment sharing screen, in response to an operation on a specific range of a quoted comment from the electronic content usage screen, it is possible to transition to an electronic content usage screen that displays the specific range of the quoted comment within the electronic content. As a result, user convenience can be improved. Also, comment input, comment confirmation, and electronic content usage can be promoted.

[0012] (4) In the above (2), the computer is On the comment sharing screen, in response to a user operation on the quoted specific range (for example, an operation on icon SD in Figure 44(A) or buttons S1, S2 in Figure 44(B)), the device functions as a reading means (for example, steps S722 to S727 in Figure 45) that performs processing to enable the quoted electronic content to be read aloud and played back from a position corresponding to the quoted specific range (for example, from the beginning of the specific range quoted in quote Q in Figure 22(B) or the beginning of the chapter including the specific range).

[0013] According to this configuration, it is possible to perform reading and playback from a position corresponding to the quoted specific range, and therefore the specific range can be confirmed by audio as well, improving convenience for the user.

[0014] (5) In the above (2), the plurality of electronic contents include electronic books corresponding to each of a plurality of audiobooks; The computer On the comment sharing screen, in response to a user operation on the quoted specific range (for example, an operation on icon OD in Figure 41(A) or buttons O1, O2 in Figure 41(B)), the playback start position for playing the audiobook corresponding to the quoted e-book from a position corresponding to the quoted specific range is identified (for example, the chapter corresponding to the quoted specific range in Figures 42(A) and (B) or the timestamp of the audio data corresponding to the quoted location information), and the device functions as a playback start position identification means (for example, steps S710 to S717 in Figure 43) that executes processing to enable the audiobook to be played from the identified playback start position.

[0015] With this configuration, the audiobook can be played from a position corresponding to the quoted specific range, so that the specific range can be confirmed not only by the electronic book but also by audio, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0016] (6) In the above (2), the plurality of electronic contents include electronic books corresponding to each of a plurality of paper books, The computer On the comment sharing screen, in response to an operation from the user on the quoted specific range (for example, an operation on icon PD in Figure 41(A)), the comment sharing screen functions as a page number display means (for example, steps S719 to S720 in Figure 42(C) and Figure 43) that executes processing to display the page number in the paper book corresponding to the quoted electronic book on which the quoted specific range is written.

[0017] This configuration makes it easy to identify the page number on which the cited specific range is written, and the specific range can be confirmed not only digitally but also on paper, thereby improving user convenience.

[0018] (7) In the above (2), the screen display means Suggestion information (e.g., suggestion icon S in FIG. 25(A); see modified example (display mode of suggestion information), etc.) is displayed to indicate that the electronic content usage screen (e.g., the text of book A currently displayed on the display unit of user terminal 300) contains a range that has been quoted and commented on (e.g., a quoted comment in which any part of the displayed text is included in the quoted range is stored in the bulletin board data table and has been posted on the bulletin board of book A). In response to a user operation on the suggestion information (e.g., an operation to select suggestion icon S, a predetermined operation on suggestion information modal screen 60 displayed by selecting suggestion icon S), processing (e.g., steps S819 to S823 to S816 in FIG. 28) for transitioning to a comment sharing screen on which a comment corresponding to the suggestion information may be displayed (e.g., the talk list screen in FIG. 22(B), (C) reply comment list screen, suggestion information modal screen 60 on which comment 30 in FIG. 25(B) is displayed; see modified example (display of talk screen after suggestion information operation), etc.) can be executed.

[0019] With this configuration, by operating the suggestion information from the electronic content usage screen, it is possible to transition to a comment sharing screen where comments quoting a specific range are displayed. As a result, it is possible to improve user convenience. It is also possible to encourage users to input and check comments while using the electronic content.

[0020] (8) In the above (2), the screen display means On the electronic content usage screen, in response to an operation for quoting a specific range specified by the user from within the electronic content being used (for example, an operation for selecting a specific range of text on the screen of the book being viewed in FIG. 23(A)), even if a predetermined range including a range overlapping with the specific range has already been quoted, the screen transitions to a comment input screen for inputting a comment on the specific range of the electronic content, and the comment input on the comment input screen is displayed as a new comment quoting the specific range separately from comments that may already be displayed on the comment sharing screen (for example, even if another user has already made a quoted comment about the range selected by the user, it is possible to select the same range or an overlapping range and post a quoted comment. The comment for which the posting process has been performed is displayed as comment 30; steps S802, S809 to S812, S814 in FIG. 28 ), On the comment sharing screen, in response to a user's response operation to a displayed comment (for example, an operation on the reply icon 35 of a comment 30 displayed on the talk list screen in Figure 22(B) or various modal screens, etc.), a process can be executed to display a reply comment input field for entering a reply comment to the comment (for example, displaying the comment input field 33 in Figure 22(D) with an anchor entered for the comment 30 to be replied to; steps S813, S821 in Figure 28, etc.).

[0021] This configuration allows for deeper discussion of various comments, thereby promoting more active discussions about electronic content.

[0022] (9) In the above (7), the comment sharing screen includes a first comment sharing screen (e.g., a suggestion information modal screen 60 such as in Figures 25(B) and (D). See the modified example (Regarding the display of the talk screen after the suggestion information operation)) that can display a list of comments corresponding to the suggestion information operated by the user, and a second comment sharing screen (e.g., a talk list screen in Figure 22(B)) that can display a list of comments that may be included in the first comment sharing screen and other comments, The screen display means In response to a user's operation on the suggestion information on the electronic content usage screen, a process for displaying the first comment sharing screen (for example, a suggestion information modal screen 60 in which a comment 30 corresponding to the suggestion information is extracted and displayed by operating the suggestion icon S in Figure 25 (A). See the modified example (regarding the display of the talk screen after operating the suggestion information); steps S819 to S820 in Figure 28) can be executed before transitioning to the second comment sharing screen.

[0023] According to this configuration, a list of comments in the electronic content that correspond to the suggestive information is displayed, making it easier for the user to identify comments that quote the desired range, thereby improving user convenience.

[0024] (10) In the above (9), the first comment sharing screen is displayed superimposed on the electronic content use screen (for example, the suggestion information modal screen 60 in FIGS. 25(B) and (D)).

[0025] According to this configuration, it is possible to easily check the comment corresponding to the suggestive information.

[0026] (11) In (10) above, the screen display means executes processing (e.g., steps S823 to S816 in FIG. 28) to transition to the second comment sharing screen (e.g., the talk list screen in FIG. 22(B)) on which comments other than those corresponding to the suggestive information may be displayed, in response to a predetermined operation from the user on the first comment sharing screen (e.g., an operation on the text of the talk, an operation on the comment 30 (e.g., a tap or click on the user name or the comment body), or an operation on a predetermined icon (e.g., an operation displayed together with the text “See more”)).

[0027] According to this configuration, it is possible to allow users to share more in-depth information about electronic content in response to their requests.

[0028] (12) In (10) above, the screen display means is capable of executing a process for displaying a reply comment input field for inputting a reply comment to a comment included in the first comment sharing screen in response to a user's response operation to the comment (for example, displaying the comment input field 33 in which an anchor to the comment 30 to be replied to in Figure 22 (D) has been entered; steps S813, S821 in Figure 28, etc.).

[0029] According to this configuration, it is possible to simply check comments corresponding to suggestive information, and also to respond to any comments that interest the user, thereby improving user convenience.

[0030] (13) In the above (7), when the suggested information may include a range that is quoted and commented on on the electronic content usage screen, the suggested information includes a suggestion icon that suggests that the range is quoted and commented on (for example, the suggestion icon S in Figure 25(A). See the mark near the range where the quoted comment is located, the modified example (display mode of suggested information), etc.), The screen display means includes: This includes processing to display the suggestion icon on the electronic content usage screen in a location that does not hinder the use of the electronic content (for example, displaying it in an area at the edge of the usage screen or in a blank area; see the modified example (Display mode of suggestion information)).

[0031] This configuration prevents suggestive information from interfering with the use of electronic content, allowing users to concentrate on using the electronic content, while also allowing users to transition to the comment sharing screen at their desired timing during the use process, thereby improving the user experience obtained through the electronic content.

[0032] (14) In the above (13), the electronic content is content including text, The screen display means In response to a user change operation to change the display mode, including the display size of the text on the electronic content usage screen (for example, a character size change operation performed on the layout change icon 63 in Figure 25(C)), a process can be executed to display the electronic content usage screen in a changed display mode (for example, a process to dynamically change the layout of the character arrangement in accordance with the changed character size), and a process can be executed to display the suggestion icon in a display mode corresponding to the number of comments quoting a specific range within the electronic content usage screen displayed in a display mode that can change due to the change operation (for example, the number of comments quoting the text displayed on the usage screen after the layout has been changed from Figure 25(A) to (C) as a specific range) (for example, the number displayed on the suggestion icon S in Figures 25(A) and (C); see modified examples (display mode of suggestion information), such as a mark attached to part of the quoted specific range).

[0033] According to this configuration, even if the user performs an operation to change the display mode of the electronic content usage screen, an icon suggesting a display mode corresponding to the changed display mode of the electronic content usage screen is displayed.

[0034] (15) In the above (13), the screen display means On the electronic content usage screen, in response to an operation by the user to specify a specific range from within the electronic content being used (for example, an operation to select the specific range in FIG. 23(A)), a process for transitioning to a memorandum input screen for inputting a memorandum for the user for the specific range (for example, displaying an icon for storing a personal memo in association with the selected range on the toolbar 40 in FIG. 23(B) or the like) can be executed; On the electronic content usage screen, it is possible to execute processing to display memo suggestion information suggesting that the range memoed on the electronic content usage screen is included in a manner different from the suggestion information (for example, personal memo OH in Figure 25(A) in which the range of the note is highlighted; see the modified example (regarding the display of information other than suggestion information on the usage screen)).

[0035] According to this configuration, it is easy to distinguish between the presence or absence of memoranda made by the user himself and the presence or absence of quoted comments on the displayed electronic content usage screen, thereby improving user convenience.

[0036] (16) In (7) or (9) above, the comment sharing screen includes comments made to a predetermined range that includes a range that overlaps with the specific range corresponding to the suggestive information operated by the user (for example, comment 30 displayed by selecting a highlighted display or a mark attached to the beginning of a line, etc., includes a comment quoting a range that overlaps with the specific range that was highlighted or marked. See (Display mode of suggestive information) in the modified example).

[0037] With this configuration, it is possible to display on the comment sharing screen comments that have been made in a range that overlaps with the specific range of the quoted comment suggested by the suggestion information, so that all comments related to the specific range suggested by the suggestion information operated by the user can be displayed without omission.

[0038] (17) In the above (2), the screen display means On the electronic content usage screen, it is possible to execute processing to transition to a comment input screen (for example, the example screen in Figure 30; steps S809 to S814 in Figure 28) for entering comments by citing multiple ranges as specific ranges specified by the user from within the electronic content being used.

[0039] According to this configuration, a comment can be made quoting multiple ranges, so that a user can more appropriately quote the range that he or she wants to share with other users.

[0040] (18) In the above (7), the computer It functions as a means for switching whether or not to display the suggestion information on the electronic content use screen in response to an operation from the user (for example, see (Display mode of suggestion information) in the modified example).

[0041] According to this configuration, suggestion information can be displayed according to the need when the user uses electronic content.

[0042] (19) In (1) above, the comment sharing screen includes a comment sharing screen that can be displayed only to users who are associated with the usage rights of the electronic content, and a comment sharing screen that can be displayed to users who are not associated with the usage rights of the electronic content (for example, see the modified example (public bulletin board and purchaser-only bulletin board)).

[0043] According to this configuration, it becomes possible to share comments on electronic content with users who are not associated with usage rights, and the range of content of the shared comments can be expanded.

[0044] (20) In the above (1), the computer It functions as an access rights change means that executes a process to change the access rights for accessing the comment sharing screen associated with a user so that it is associated with another user (for example, see <Regarding account migration> in the modified example).

[0045] According to this configuration, the right to access the comment sharing screen can be changed to another user, which improves convenience when another user desires to access the comment sharing screen.

[0046] (21) In (1) above, the access rights for the user to access the comment sharing screen include a first access right that allows the user to display only the comment sharing screen for electronic content with which a usage right is associated (for example, access to the bulletin board for a book with which a usage right is associated by purchasing a book or activating a license), and a second access right that allows the user to display the comment sharing screen for electronic content regardless of whether a usage right is associated (for example, access to a bulletin board exclusive to users who use an unlimited reading plan, access to the bulletin board for books covered by the unlimited reading plan, access permission to a bulletin board based on the purchase of a paper book at an affiliated bookstore, etc.) (for example, see the variant example (in the case of an unlimited reading plan), <Regarding determining whether or not there is a right to view a specific range of electronic content>).

[0047] With this configuration, a user who has the second access right, regardless of whether or not they have the right to use the electronic content, can share comments not only about the electronic content to which they have been granted the right to use, but also about other electronic content.

[0048] (22) In the above (1), the plurality of electronic contents include electronic books corresponding to each of a plurality of paper books, The screen display means A process is executed to display a comment sharing screen for the e-book corresponding to the paper book to users with whom the usage rights for the electronic content are associated and to users who have purchased the paper book corresponding to the e-book (for example, see the modified example <Regarding determining whether or not the right to view bulletin boards, etc. is available due to purchase of a book from a source other than an electronic content store>).

[0049] With this configuration, even if a user owns the same book in paper form rather than electronically, a comment sharing screen for the same book will be displayed, allowing the user to deepen their interest in the book and the comments on it.

[0050] (23) In the above (2), the screen display means On the comment sharing screen for each electronic content, a process can be executed to display comments in a manner that restricts viewing of specific ranges quoted within the electronic content on the user terminal of a user who is not associated with the usage rights of the electronic content (for example, the example display restriction screen in Figure 29).

[0051] Such a configuration can prevent users who are not associated with usage rights for the electronic content from viewing the contents of the electronic content, and can also motivate users whose viewing is restricted to associate usage rights with the electronic content.

[0052] (24) In the above (2), the screen display means In response to an operation on the comment input screen on the comment sharing screen for each electronic content to specify and quote a specific range of electronic content different from the electronic content in question, the comment input screen can be used to input a comment on that specific range of electronic content different from the electronic content in question (for example, on the usage screen for book A, a link obtained by operating on the link generation icon T4 on the toolbar 40 in Figure 31 is pasted into the comment input field 33 of the bulletin board for other electronic content such as book B and posted; steps S806 to S807 in Figure 28) (for example, see Figure 31, (example screen when quoting other electronic content)).

[0053] According to this configuration, it is possible to quote a specific range of another electronic content in a comment on the comment sharing screen, thereby improving user convenience.

[0054] (25) In (24) above, on the comment sharing screen, a process can be executed to display the comment in a manner that restricts viewing of the quoted specific range (e.g., quotation Q3 in Figure 31(D)) on the user terminal of a user who is not associated with the usage rights of electronic content different from the quoted electronic content.

[0055] Such a configuration can prevent users who are not associated with usage rights for other electronic content from viewing the contents of the electronic content, and can also motivate users whose viewing is restricted to associate usage rights.

[0056] (26) In the above (1), the computer functioning as a group management means (e.g., a user management unit 355) that executes a process for generating a group (e.g., a user group) in which multiple users who satisfy a predetermined condition (e.g., designated as a user to be invited, accessed an invitation link, etc.) are associated with each other through an operation by the user; The group management means a process for generating a group comment sharing screen for any electronic content among the available electronic content (for example, a chat room screen in FIG. 32(F) to which electronic content is associated when the chat room is created in FIG. 32(E) or the like) can be executed by the user operation, The screen display means It is possible to execute processing to display the group comment sharing screen only on the user terminals of users who belong to the group desired by the user who created the group comment sharing screen (see, for example, Figure 32, (example screen of a chat room by user group)).

[0057] With this configuration, a user can share a comment only with desired users.

[0058] (27) In the above (2), the screen display means A process for transitioning to a review input screen for inputting a review from the user for the electronic content (for example, a selection operation of the review list display icon 25 on the electronic content information screen of FIG. 22(A), or display of a book review screen by an operation to the review RTB of FIG. 13, etc.) can be executed; The review input screen does not allow quoting of a specific range within the electronic content.

[0059] With this configuration, the input content can be different between comments shared on the comment sharing screen, which allows for a specific range of citation, and reviews, which do not allow citation, and the comments displayed on the comment sharing screen can be more easily used for in-depth discussion of electronic content.

[0060] (28) In the above (2), the computer It functions as a means for enabling a process to be executed to search for and display the desired text from at least one of a specific range of electronic content and comments that can be displayed on the comment sharing screen (for example, at least one of the characters of quoted Q in comment 30 and the comment body) (for example, by operating the talk search window 31 and talk filter 32 in Figure 22 (B), the desired characters can be searched for from the quoted Q in comment 30, or the comment body, or both; control unit 130, 330, etc.).

[0061] With this configuration, it becomes easy to identify the presence of a comment quoting a specific range that includes a wording desired by the user.

[0062] (29) In (1) above, the screen display means extracts comments that satisfy specific conditions from the input comments and makes them displayable on the comment sharing screen (see, for example, the modified example <Regarding comments displayed on the talk screen>).

[0063] According to this configuration, comments that satisfy a specific condition are displayed, thereby avoiding the inconvenience that would occur if all comments were displayed indiscriminately.

[0064] (30) In the above (2), the computer The function is to function as a means for executing a process to change the display order of comments that quote a specific range so that the specific range of electronic content that can be displayed on the comment sharing screen is in an order that corresponds to the order in which it is displayed within the electronic content in response to user operation (for example, by operating the talk filter 32 in Figure 22 (B), comments 30 are sorted into the display order of the range corresponding to the quotation Q within the electronic content based on the EPUB CFI associated with the quotation Q; control unit 130, 330, etc.).

[0065] According to this configuration, the display order of the comments is arranged according to the display order of the specific range within the electronic content, making it easier for the user to understand the content of the comments.

[0066] (31) In the above (1), the computer functioning as emotion label associating means (e.g., content management unit 132, 354, user management unit 134, 355, etc.) that can execute a process for associating an emotion label designated by a user from among a plurality of emotion labels (e.g., first to third emotion labels corresponding to "Label" in the marker data table of FIG. 34) that are associated with emotions with a specific range within the electronic content on the electronic content usage screen (e.g., by selecting marker icons T1 to T3 or marker buttons MB1 to MB3, the corresponding first to third emotion labels are associated with the specific range and the marker data table is updated; steps S804 to S805, steps S810 to S811 in FIG. 28, steps S902 to S903 in FIG. 35); The screen display means is capable of executing processing for displaying an emotion label list screen that displays a specific range in which emotion labels have been specified by users including other users and the specified emotion labels by the emotion label associating means (for example, the marker list screen of Figure 33(A) that displays a marker range MQ and marker buttons MB1 to MB3, marker tabs MTB1 to MTB3, etc. that represent the corresponding emotion labels).

[0067] According to this configuration, by sharing with other users emotion labels associated with specific ranges within the electronic content, the user experience obtained through the electronic content can be made richer.

[0068] (32) In the above (31), the emotion label associating means In response to receiving a predetermined operation from a user on the emotion label list screen displayed by the screen display means for a specific range for which another user has specified an emotion label (for example, operating marker buttons MB1 to MB3 displayed together with the marker range MQ in FIG. 33(A) (FIG. 33(B))), an emotion label is associated with the same specific range as the specific range for which the predetermined operation was performed within the electronic content of the user who performed the predetermined operation (for example, by storing the EPUB CFI of the specific range with which the marker is associated and emotion label information in user information 123, storage unit 320, etc., it is possible to attach a marker MH to the operated specific range, as shown in FIG. 33(D); steps S902 to S903 in FIG. 35).

[0069] With this configuration, it becomes easy for other users to associate emotion labels with specific ranges for which they have specified emotion labels in the same way, thereby improving user convenience.

[0070] (33) In the above (1), the computer emotion label associating means for executing a process for associating an emotion label designated by a user from among a plurality of emotion labels (for example, first to third emotion labels corresponding to "Label" in the marker data table of FIG. 34) that are associated with emotions with a specific range within the electronic content on the electronic content usage screen (for example, by selecting marker icons T1 to T3 or marker buttons MB1 to MB3, the corresponding first to third emotion labels are associated with the specific range and the marker data table is updated; steps S804 to S805, steps S810 to S811 in FIG. 28; steps S902 to S903 in FIG. 35); The emotion label associating means functions as a means (e.g., content management unit 132, 354, user management unit 134, 355, display control unit 353, etc.) that can execute processing to associate and display an introduction label with the electronic content (e.g., introduction label in FIG. 22(A); see <About introduction labels for books>, etc.) based on at least one of aggregate information of emotion labels designated by users including other users by the emotion label associating means (e.g., the number of most associated emotion labels stored in the marker data table in FIG. 34) and aggregate information of comments on the comment sharing screen (e.g., the number of comments posted within a predetermined period stored in the bulletin board data table in FIG. 24).

[0071] With this configuration, the user can easily understand what kind of electronic content is based on at least one of the aggregated information of emotion labels and the aggregated information of comments.

[0072] (34) In the above (1), the computer functioning as tagging means (for example, steps S826 to S827 in FIG. 40, FIG. 36(D), etc.) that enables a process for associating a tag input by a user with a specific range within the electronic content on the electronic content usage screen; The screen display means is capable of executing processing (e.g., step S602A and step S603A in FIG. 39) for displaying a tag list screen (e.g., FIGS. 36(A) and (B)) that displays a specific range in which tags have been entered by users, including other users, using the tagging means, and the entered tags.

[0073] With this configuration, a tag can be associated with a specific range and can be shared with other users, making it possible to identify a more specific range within the electronic content to which other users have associated a tag, making it easier for them to gain a deeper understanding of the electronic content.

[0074] (35) In (34) above, the screen display means is capable of executing processing to display the tag list screen corresponding to tags that satisfy predetermined conditions among the tags associated by the tagging means (for example, popular tags, rapidly rising tags, etc., see Figures 36(A), 38(B), etc.).

[0075] According to this configuration, tags that satisfy predetermined conditions can be extracted, which further improves convenience for the user.

[0076] (36) In the above (34), the computer The tagging means functions as a means for enabling processing to be performed to extract and display electronic content recommended to a user based on tags associated with each electronic content (for example, popular tags, trending tags, etc., see Figures 36(A), 38(B), and modified examples (display modes such as tag list screens)).

[0077] With this configuration, electronic content is recommended to the user based on tags for a specific range of electronic content, which means that recommendations can be made based on more detailed information about the electronic content, making the recommended information more valuable to the user.

[0078] (37) A system according to an aspect of the present invention is a system including a computer (e.g., a server 100, a user terminal 300) that makes a plurality of electronic contents available to a user, The computer a screen display means (e.g., a control unit 130 (e.g., a data transmission / reception unit 131, a content management unit 132, a user management unit 134, etc.), a control unit 350 (e.g., a display control unit 353, a content management unit 354), an output unit 340, etc.) that executes processing to display one of a plurality of screens including a comment sharing screen (e.g., a talk screen in FIGS. 22(B) and (D), a posting modal screen 50 in FIG. 23(C), a suggestion information modal screen 60 in FIG. 25(B), etc.) for enabling a comment input by a user on the available electronic content to be shared with other users, and an electronic content use screen (e.g., a book viewing screen in FIG. 22(C), FIG. 23(A), FIG. 25(A), (C), FIG. 15(D), etc.) while the electronic content is being used, The screen display means The comment sharing screen can be displayed without going through the electronic content usage screen (for example, from the electronic content information screen of FIG. 22(A), the talk list screen of FIG. 22(B) is displayed; steps S608 to S609 of FIG. 26, etc.), and a process for transitioning to the electronic content usage screen of the electronic content that is the subject of the comment can be executed in response to an operation from the user on the comment sharing screen (for example, by selecting a quote Q displayed on the talk screen of book A such as FIG. 22(B), the usage screen of book A is displayed as in FIG. 22(C); by selecting a usage operation icon R displayed on the talk screen such as FIG. 22(B), the usage screen of the book is displayed; steps S705 to S708 of FIG. 27, etc.), The electronic content use screen can be displayed without the comment sharing screen (for example, the use operation icon R displayed on the electronic content information screen of FIG. 22(A) or the My Page screen of FIG. 12(B) can be selected and operated, or the Book The Reader TB5 is operated to display a usage screen, for example, by a selection operation. (e.g., steps S602 to S603 in FIG. 26), and processes for transitioning to a comment sharing screen including comments on the electronic content being used in response to a user operation on the electronic content usage screen (e.g., a suggestion information modal screen 60 displaying the comment 30 in FIG. 25(B) when a suggestion icon S in FIG. 25(A) is selected, a posting modal screen 50 displaying the comment 30 in FIG. 23(C) displayed based on a selection of a specific range in FIG. 23(A), and a talk list screen in FIG. 22(B) displaying further comments 30 by a predetermined operation on each modal screen; e.g., steps S802, S808 to S809, S815 to S816, S819 to S820, and S823 to S816 in FIG. 28).

[0079] This configuration allows users to transition from a comment sharing screen for electronic content to an electronic content usage screen, and from the electronic content usage screen to a comment sharing screen, improving user convenience. This facilitates sharing and identifying information about electronic content, improving the user experience. Furthermore, since the comment sharing screen can be displayed without going through the electronic content usage screen, and the electronic content usage screen can be displayed without going through the comment sharing screen, users can deepen their interest in the electronic content from comments and vice versa. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0080] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an electronic content providing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a server. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a group manager terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 5] 10 is an example of a data table for each group managed in the server. [Figure 6] 10 is an example of a data table relating to usage rights for each user managed in a server. [Figure 7] 10 is an example of a data table of content managed in a server. [Figure 8] 10 is an example of a data table of a first-time use log managed in a server. [Figure 9] 10 is an example of a data table relating to the usage status of each user managed in the server. [Figure 10] 10 is an example of an electronic content search screen. [Figure 11] 10 shows examples of a review screen and a member list screen. [Figure 12] 10 is an example of a user usage status screen. [Figure 13] 10 is an example of an electronic content information screen. [Figure 14] 10 is an example of screen transitions when updating usage status. [Figure 15] 10 is an example of screen transitions when a usage right is granted. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process related to providing electronic content. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an electronic content information screen display process. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a member screen display process. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a my page display process. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a usage screen providing process. [Figure 21] 10 is an example of a data table of a purchase log managed in a server. [Figure 22]10 is an example of a display screen relating to a bulletin board of electronic content in the second embodiment. [Figure 23] 10 is an example of a screen transition when making a comment quoting a specific range in the second embodiment. [Figure 24] 10 is an example of a data table of a bulletin board managed by a server in the second embodiment. [Figure 25] 10 is a screen example showing suggestive information displayed on a usage screen for electronic content in the second embodiment. [Figure 26] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an electronic content information screen display process in the second embodiment. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a talk screen display process in the second embodiment. [Figure 28] 10 is a flowchart for explaining a usage screen display process in the second embodiment. [Figure 29] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode relating to a bulletin board on a user terminal of a user who is not granted a right to use electronic content in the second embodiment. [Figure 30] 10 shows an example of screen transitions when quoting multiple parts of electronic content and making a comment in the second embodiment. [Figure 31] 10 shows an example of screen transition when quoting a specific range of another electronic content on a message board and making a comment in the second embodiment. [Figure 32] 10 is an example of a screen of a bulletin board for a user group in the second embodiment. [Figure 33] 10 is an example of a display screen relating to a marker list in the second embodiment. [Figure 34] 10 is an example of a data table of markers managed in a server in the second embodiment. [Figure 35] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a marker list screen display process in the second embodiment. [Figure 36] 13 is an example of a screen related to tags for a specific range in the third embodiment. [Figure 37]13 is an example of a screen relating to tags for comments in the third embodiment. [Figure 38] 13 is an example of a data table of tags managed in a server in the third embodiment. [Figure 39] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an electronic content information screen display process in the third embodiment. [Figure 40] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a usage screen display process in the third embodiment. [Figure 41] 13 is an example of a screen relating to content corresponding to electronic content in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 42] 13 is an example of a data table relating to content corresponding to electronic content managed in a server in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 43] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a talk list screen display process in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 44] 13 is an example of a screen relating to content corresponding to electronic content in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 45] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a talk list screen display process in the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0081] The electronic content provision system according to the present invention is a system equipped with a computer (including a server and a user terminal) for making electronic content associated with a group, among multiple electronic contents sold by an electronic content distributor, available to users belonging to the group. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the electronic content provision 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, but is defined by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included in the present invention. In the following description, identical elements in the drawings will be given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will not be repeated.

[0082] In this embodiment, electronic content includes, for example, e-books, game content, video content that allows viewing of videos such as movies, dramas, music videos, and lectures, music data, and audio data. Usage refers to, for example, browsing e-books, watching videos, and playing game content. 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 usage rights have not yet been granted), the usage rights of the electronic content (e.g., eligibility to view or download the electronic content) are associated with the user, and a process is performed to pay royalties to the seller of the electronic content for which the initial usage operation was performed from the fees collected from the group to which the user belongs. In this embodiment, the electronic content provision system allows users belonging to the group to use the electronic content for which usage rights have been granted, without any restrictions on the number of times or duration of use, i.e., semi-permanently, if the group's contract status is valid.

[0083] Furthermore, in the electronic content providing system of this embodiment, a user's usage history of electronic content is provided (shared) with other users who belong to the same group, and this information serves as an index for the user to select electronic content to use. Furthermore, sharing usage history promotes knowledge sharing within the group and can broaden the scope of use, such as by providing an opportunity for communication between users (corresponding to the first embodiment).

[0084] Furthermore, the electronic content providing system of this embodiment is provided with a feeling sharing function that enables users to share their opinions and feelings about electronic content with other users in order to further improve the user experience obtained through electronic content. For example, it is provided with a bulletin board (also referred to as a talk screen or a comment sharing screen) that enables users to share comments about electronic content with other users, and a function that enables users to associate emotion labels and tags with predetermined parts of electronic content and share them with other users. Unlike conventional review functions, the bulletin board allows users to transition from comments posted on the bulletin board, which is displayed without going through the electronic content usage screen, to the corresponding electronic content usage screen. Furthermore, it is possible to transition from the electronic content usage screen, which is displayed without going through the bulletin board, to the bulletin board for the electronic content, allowing for two-way display. Furthermore, it is possible to transition from the shared emotion label or tag to a predetermined part of the corresponding electronic content usage screen (corresponding to the second and third embodiments).

[0085] The electronic content providing system of this embodiment also enables playback of other digital content (e.g., an audiobook of the electronic book) corresponding to the electronic content from a bulletin board about the electronic content. It also enables presentation of information on analog content (e.g., a paper version of the electronic book) corresponding to the electronic content to users from the bulletin board about the electronic content (corresponding to the fourth embodiment).

[0086] The programs in this embodiment include programs that enable the server 100, the group manager terminal 200, and the user terminal 300 to provide electronic content to users and manage the electronic content that can be provided to users.

[0087] <Example of hardware configuration of electronic content provision system 1> 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an electronic content provision system 1. The electronic content provision system 1 includes a server 100, a group administrator terminal 200, and multiple user terminals 300a, 300b, 300c, etc. The multiple user terminals 300a, 300b, 300c, etc. are terminals owned by multiple users, and will hereinafter be collectively referred to as user terminals 300. A user may own multiple terminals, and can access the electronic content provision system 1 from any of the terminals using the user's user ID, etc.

[0088] Server 100, group manager terminal 200, and user terminal 300 can each be connected for communication via network 2, and can send and receive information (data) in both directions. Network 2 is, for example, the Internet, and is made up of access networks such as LANs (Local Area Networks), WANs (Wide Area Networks), mobile communication networks (e.g., 5G, 4G, etc.), wired telephone networks, FTTH (Fiber To The Home), and CATV (Cable Television) networks, as well as wireless networks (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) that can be connected to the Internet via predetermined access points.

[0089] The server 100 is, for example, a computer such as a workstation or personal computer with communication capabilities, and manages the usage rights of electronic content for each user. Electronic content is associated with electronic content information (e.g., an EPUB (Electronic Publication) file of an e-book, etc., which will be described later), and the electronic content information is managed for each piece of electronic content by the server 100. 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.

[0090] The server 100 in this embodiment may be realized by one computer, or may be realized by multiple computers (for example, multiple servers), or may be a so-called cloud server.

[0091] The group administrator terminal 200 is used by an administrator of a group to which multiple users belong. The group administrator terminal 200 is not limited to a personal computer, but may also be a computer with operation input and communication functions, such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone. The group administrator terminal 200 manages electronic content associated with the group (e.g., selecting and purchasing e-books), manages the users (e.g., adding and deleting (cancelling) users, restricting the scope of use for each user), and manages licenses (e.g., adding and allocating licenses; details will be described later) that are activated (consumed, subtracted, etc.) when a user is granted a usage right. Information updated by management operations is then sent to the server 100. The group administrator terminal 200 may be the same terminal as the user terminal 300 described below. By accessing the electronic content provision system 1 from the user terminal 300 using the group administrator's ID or the like, operations available on the group administrator terminal 200 can be performed.

[0092] The user terminal 300 (computer, information processing device) is used by a user who wishes to use electronic content. The user terminal 300 may be, for example, a computer with operation input functions and communication functions, such as a personal computer, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone. An application (program) that enables the use of electronic content is installed in the user terminal 300. The user can use the desired electronic content by starting the application on the user terminal 300. The application may be, for example, a native application such as an e-book app (viewer app) operated on a smartphone or tablet terminal, or a web browser application. The user terminal 300 may also be an e-book reader, which is a dedicated device for viewing e-books.

[0093] <Server configuration> 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, storage unit 120, and control unit 130 are interconnected by a bus line.

[0094] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface that includes a network interface card (NIC) for wired or wireless communication. The communication unit 110 communicates with other computers via the network 2.

[0095] The storage unit 120 is composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. The storage unit 120 stores programs for executing various control processes (for example, programs for managing and providing electronic content), various data, etc. The various data stored in the storage unit 120 include content data 121 for managing information about electronic content, group information 122, user information 123 about users, first-time use log data 124, usage status data 125, purchase log data 126, etc.

[0096] The content data 121 stores information about various electronic contents in association with the content IDs of the various electronic contents. The information about the electronic contents includes, for example, the book title, author, publisher, release date, price, royalty rate, genre, and book classification code. The content data 121 also stores electronic content information about electronic contents that can be provided by the electronic content providing system 1. The electronic content information includes content information about various electronic contents (e.g., an EPUB file of an e-book) that is necessary for users to use the electronic content, and access information for accessing the electronic content (e.g., an encryption key for opening an EPUB file).

[0097] For example, if the electronic content is an electronic book, the content information is document data such as an EPUB file or a PDF file, and if the electronic content is music data, the content information is content data such as music file data such as MP3 or MP4. A user can use the electronic content once the content information is available. For example, in the case of an electronic book, the user can view the electronic book even in an offline environment on the user terminal 300 by opening the EPUB file in a web browser or by downloading some or all of the information in the EPUB file to the user terminal 300.

[0098] Additionally, the file format of the content information (content data such as an EPUB file) is associated with information (metadata) about how the content is displayed on the user's screen. For example, this includes flags such as a reflow type, which changes the display layout dynamically so that the number of characters displayed corresponds to the screen size when the character size is changed by user operation, and a fixed type, which fixes the character display layout.

[0099] The access information for accessing electronic content includes a cryptographic key for encrypting and decrypting content information (e.g., an EPUB file), license authentication information regarding the user's right to use the electronic content, and an extension of the usage period (e.g., the viewing period).

[0100] In this embodiment, content information is managed in an encrypted state for each piece of electronic content in the server 100. The ID of the content that will become available is associated with the user ID (the right to use the content is granted), allowing the user to use the electronic content (for example, to view an e-book). For example, content information for 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 using an encryption key (decryption key). This makes the electronic content available to the user terminal 300. The encryption key is downloaded to and stored in the user terminal 300 of the user based on the right to use the electronic content being granted.

[0101] Furthermore, electronic content information is disabled (disposed of) when the contract status of the group to which the user belongs becomes invalid or when the user no longer belongs to the group. Disabling means, for example, deleting content information (EPUB file, etc.) on the server 100 or the user terminal 300, thereby making the electronic content unavailable to the user (unable to view).

[0102] The group information 122 stores a group ID and password for identifying a group (organization such as a company), the group name, the IDs of the users belonging to the group, the contract status, the number of licenses, information about electronic content associated with the group, etc. For example, it is stored in a data table such as that shown in Fig. 5, which will be described later.

[0103] The user information 123 stores user IDs and passwords for identifying users, user names, information about electronic content associated with users, etc. If the group is a company, information about the departments and job titles of each user may also be stored. For example, this information is stored in a data table such as that shown in FIG. 6, which will be described later.

[0104] The first-time use log data 124 stores information about electronic content for which a first-time use operation has been performed. A use operation is, in the case of an electronic book, an operation to view the book (e.g., selecting a use operation icon for viewing the electronic book, etc.). Examples of use operations (first-time use operations) when attempting to use electronic content for which the user has not yet been granted a usage right include, for example, operations in which a usage right is granted by selecting a use operation icon for the first time, and operations in which a confirmation screen indicating that a usage right has been granted by selecting a use operation icon, etc. (e.g., a license activation confirmation screen in FIG. 15, described later) is displayed to confirm the granting of the usage right. The information stored as the first-time use log data 124 is information such as the date and time of the first-time use operation, which is compiled for each electronic content. This information is stored, for example, in a data table such as that shown in FIG. 8, described later, for calculating the royalty payment amount to the distributor of the electronic content for which a first-time use operation has been performed, based on the compilation results at regular intervals. In the case of a book, the distributor includes, for example, the publisher of the electronic book and the author of the book.

[0105] The usage status data 125 stores information on the usage status of electronic content for each user and information on the aggregated usage status of each electronic content based on the usage status. The usage status includes information such as "planned use," "currently using," and "end of use," which correspond to the intention to use or interest in electronic content. For example, for electronic books, this corresponds to "piled up reading," "currently reading," and "completed reading."

[0106] Information on the operation of purchasing (also referred to as selecting) electronic content from a group (for example, the price of the electronic book, the date and time of purchase, the amount charged to the group, etc.) is stored in the purchase log data 126. For example, when a group administrator performs an operation to purchase electronic content, the electronic content that was purchased is associated with the group information 122, and further, information on the purchase operation is stored in the purchase log data 126 in the form of, for example, a data table such as that shown in FIG. 21, which will be described later.

[0107] The control unit 130 is configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. The control unit 130 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 120 to control the overall operation of the server 100.

[0108] The following describes the functional configuration of the control unit 130. 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 rights management unit 135, a usage status management unit 136, and a license management unit 137.

[0109] The data transmitter / receiver 131 transmits and receives various types of information to and from the group manager terminal 200 and the user terminal 300. The data transmitter / receiver 131 refers to various management tables stored in the storage unit 120. The various types of information transmitted and received by the data transmitter / receiver 131 include, for example, electronic content information (e.g., EPUB files, encryption keys, etc.) stored in the storage unit 120, and information for identifying electronic content whose usage rights are associated with the user.

[0110] The content management unit 132 manages information about each electronic content stored in the content data 121 that can be provided to the user terminal 300 or the like via the communication unit 110. For example, the content management unit 132 updates and stores in the storage unit 120 information about electronic content that is sold by a distributor of the electronic content and that is available to users.

[0111] The group management unit 133 stores and updates group information 122 relating to groups in the storage unit 120. For example, it stores and updates information relating to addition and deletion of groups, the contract status of the group, information relating to an increase or decrease in the number of licenses, and information relating to electronic content newly associated with a group based on an operation to purchase electronic content on the group manager terminal 200. The contract status includes, for example, the valid / invalid status of the contract according to the collection of the fee for using the electronic content providing system 1, the contract plan, etc.

[0112] The user management unit 134 stores and updates the user information 123 relating to the user in the storage unit 120 .

[0113] The usage rights management unit 135 manages information relating to the granting or cancellation of usage rights for electronic content for each user. For example, when a user performs an initial usage operation, the usage rights management unit 135 updates and stores information about usage rights for electronic content granted to a user, which is stored in the user information 123.

[0114] The usage status management unit 136 updates and stores information stored as usage status data 125 of electronic content based on user setting operations or user usage operations.

[0115] The license management unit 137 stores and updates the group information 122 or the user information 123 so that a predetermined number of licenses are granted to each group or each user.

[0116] <Configuration of group administrator terminal> Next, the configuration of group manager terminal 200 will be described in detail. As shown in Fig. 3, the group manager terminal includes a communication unit 210 that communicates with other computers, a memory unit 220 that stores various data, an input unit 230 for inputting operations and the like, an output unit 240 for outputting images and the like, and a control unit 250 that controls the entire computer. Communication unit 210, memory unit 220, input unit 230, output unit 240, and control unit 250 are connected to each other by a bus line.

[0117] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface equipped with a NIC for wired 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 RAM, ROM, etc. The storage unit 220 stores programs for executing various control processes (for example, programs for managing users belonging to a group and electronic content associated with a group), various data, etc.

[0118] The input unit 230 includes an input device (for example, a touch panel, a touch pad, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, etc.) for receiving input operations from the group manager. The output unit 240 includes an output device (a display unit such as a display, a speaker, etc.) for presenting information to the group manager.

[0119] The control unit 250 is composed of a CPU and the like. The control unit 250 controls the overall operation of the group manager terminal 200 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 220. The functional configuration of the control unit 250 will be described below. The control unit 250 functions as at least a content management unit 251, an affiliated user management unit 252, and a license management unit 253.

[0120] In response to an operation on the group manager terminal 200, the content management unit 251 transmits operation information to the server 100 via the communication unit 210 so that information relating to electronic content in the storage unit 120 of the server 100 (e.g., content data 121, group information 122) is stored and updated. For example, when there is a purchase operation (or a deletion operation) to newly associate electronic content with a group, the electronic content associated with the group stored in the storage unit 120 is updated.

[0121] In response to an operation on the group manager terminal 200, the belonging user management unit 252 sends operation information to the server 100 via the communication unit 210 so that users belonging to the group stored in the memory unit 120 of the server 100 (e.g., group information 122, user information 123) can be added or deleted, and various user information (e.g., department to which the user belongs, job title, etc.) can be updated.

[0122] The license management unit 253 transmits operation information to the server 100 via the communication unit 210 in response to an operation on the group manager terminal 200 so that the number of licenses (licenses that are activated when a user is granted the right to use electronic content, as described below) associated with the group or user stored in the storage unit 120 (for example, group information 122, user information 123) of the server 100 is updated. For example, operation information such as addition of a license by the group manager or allocation 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.

[0123] <User terminal configuration> Next, the configuration of 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 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. Communication unit 310, storage unit 320, input unit 330, output unit 340, and control unit 350 are connected to each other by a bus line.

[0124] The communication unit 310 is a communication interface equipped with a NIC for 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 RAM, ROM, etc. The storage unit 320 stores programs for executing various control processes (for example, programs for managing and providing electronic content), various data, etc.

[0125] The input unit 330 includes an input device (for example, a touch panel, a touch pad, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a microphone, etc.) for receiving input operations and voice from the user. In this embodiment, a user operation refers to an operation from the user on the input unit 330. For example, this includes a touch operation on the touch panel, a slide operation, a flick operation, 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, and voice input to a microphone. Note that, in this embodiment, a selection refers to a selection operation being performed by a user operating the input unit 330.

[0126] The output unit 340 presents (notifies) information (text, images, sounds, etc.) to the user, and includes an output device (a display unit such as a display, a speaker, etc.) for outputting information at the user terminal 300.

[0127] The control unit 350 is composed of a CPU and the like. The control unit 350 controls the overall operation of the user terminal 300 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 320. The functional configuration of the control unit 350 will be described below. 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.

[0128] The information acquisition unit 351 acquires data relating to electronic content from the server 100 via the communication unit 310, and stores information relating to the electronic content to be displayed on the user terminal 300 based on the acquired data, as well as a program that enables the user to use the electronic content, in the storage unit 320. The information relating to the electronic content includes electronic content information for electronic content for which the user has been granted the right to use, information relating to the usage status of the electronic content, and the like.

[0129] The input information sending unit 352 sends information (such as an ID) for identifying the user for logging in, which is sent together with the login request, a synchronization request, operation input information acquired by the input unit 330, voice input information, and the like, to the server 100. The operation input information includes a usage operation (browsing operation) by the user for using electronic content, an operation for setting the usage status of electronic content, an operation for posting a review of electronic content, and the like.

[0130] The display control unit 353 displays a screen related to the electronic content on the display unit of the user terminal 300 based on information about the electronic content stored in the storage unit 320 based on data about the electronic content acquired by the information acquisition unit 351. The display control unit 353 displays, for example, a list of electronic books owned by the user, various icons that can be operated to set the use and usage status of the electronic books, and an electronic book usage screen (viewing screen) on which the contents of the electronic books are displayed.

[0131] The content management unit 354 updates and stores the information on the electronic content stored in the storage unit 320 by adding or deleting electronic content that the user can use on the user terminal 300, based on the data on the electronic content acquired by the information acquisition unit 351 and operations by the user.

[0132] The user management unit 355 stores and updates user information relating to users in the storage unit 320. The user information relating to users includes, for example, an ID for identifying the user, a user name, and information specifying a group to which the user belongs.

[0133] The usage status management unit 356 updates and stores the usage status of each piece of electronic content stored in the storage unit 320 based on setting operations by the user and usage operations by the user. The updated usage status is transmitted by the input information transmission unit 352 to the server 100 via the communication unit 310.

[0134] [First embodiment] <About the data table example> An example of an electronic content providing system 1 that allows access to users belonging to a group will be described in detail below. In the following embodiment, the use of electronic content will be mainly described as the reading of an electronic book. The group includes organizations such as a company or an educational institution, and the users belonging to the group include employees, students, etc. Use of the electronic content providing system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the providing system 1) according to this embodiment by a company or the like will improve employees' motivation to learn, which will ultimately lead 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 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0135] (Group data table example) Fig. 5 is an example of a data table of information about groups stored as group information 122 in storage unit 120 of server 100. In the group data table of Fig. 5, each group is associated with a "group ID" that identifies the group, a "group name," "belonging user ID," "contract status," "usage plan," "remaining number of shared licenses," "additional billing amount," "group-associated content ID," and a "content name" that corresponds to the content ID.

[0136] "Contract status" refers to information indicating whether the contract status for a group to use the electronic content providing system 1 according to this embodiment, i.e., the electronic book viewing service, is valid. Once the group's contract status becomes valid (after the usage start conditions are met), and as long as the valid status continues, users belonging to the valid group will be able to use the electronic content (available status). Furthermore, for a company to use the providing system 1 of this embodiment (to make the contract status valid), a condition is that the group pays a usage fee directly or indirectly to the operating company of the providing system 1 as consideration for use. Note that this payment may be made in advance or in arrears.

[0137] The condition for the contract status to become valid (condition for starting use) may be that the administrator of the provision system 1 performs a setting operation to set the "contract status" of the group to "valid" when a usage fee has been paid or will be paid in the future due to payment from the group or the conclusion of a contract. Alternatively, an automatic payment system may be introduced into the provision system 1, and the group management unit 133 may perform processing to set the "contract status" to "valid" in response to the control unit 130 acquiring payment information indicating that the usage fee has been paid.

[0138] Furthermore, as a condition for invalidating the contract status (condition for terminating use), when there is a situation such as a failure to pay the usage fee or the contract being terminated, the administrator of the provision system 1 may perform a setting operation to set the "contract status" of the group in which such a situation has occurred to "invalid." Alternatively, if an automatic payment system is introduced into the provision system 1, the group management unit 133 may perform a process to set the "contract status" to "invalid" in response to, for example, the control unit 130 being unable to obtain payment information by a predetermined date.

[0139] For example, since the contract status of groups G1 to G6 is "valid," the users belonging to the groups can use the e-books associated with the groups. On the other hand, since the contract status of group G50 is "invalid," the users belonging to the group cannot use the e-books. For example, even if a login request is sent to the provision system 1 from the user terminal 300 of a user belonging to group G50, the login is rejected.

[0140] The "usage plan" is information about a plan for a group to use the provision system 1, and includes a "license purchase plan" and an "unlimited reading plan." In the case of a "license purchase plan," the condition for granting a user the right to use (read) an e-book is that the license must be activated. Furthermore, paying the usage fee for a "license purchase plan" means purchasing a license (usage right). In other words, the license here refers to a usage right that can be used for any e-book associated with the group (regardless of the type of book), and activating a license means that a usage right that is not associated (activated) with any user or e-book is granted (associated) to the user for the e-book that the user desires. In this embodiment, the license can be considered a ticket (right) that is consumed (activated) to grant a usage right.

[0141] The license is activated in response to an operation (first-time use operation) by each user who attempts to view content associated with a group to which the user belongs, that is, an e-book associated with a group-associated content ID, for which the user has not yet been granted a usage right. As a result, the user who performed the first-time use operation is granted a usage right for the book.

[0142] The usage fee for the "license purchase plan" varies depending on the number of licenses. For example, this plan allows for a monthly subscription of a number of licenses corresponding to the number of users (e.g., 10 licenses x the number of affiliated users). However, regardless of the number of affiliated users, a predetermined number of licenses (e.g., 30, 50, etc.) may be purchased monthly on a regular basis, either predetermined or desired by the group.

[0143] The licenses purchased by a group include a "shared license" that can be used by any user belonging to the group, and a "personal license" that is assigned to each user individually, as described later in FIG. 6. The "remaining number of shared licenses" shown in FIG. 5 is associated with the remaining number of licenses shared among users belonging to the group when the usage plan is the "license purchase plan." The "personal licenses" for each user may be assigned to each user individually by the license management unit 137 when a license is granted to the group (e.g., at a predetermined time such as the first day of each month, or when the license is purchased). A predetermined number of "personal licenses" that is predetermined by a group administrator or the like and stored in user information 123 may be assigned to each user by the license management unit 137. Alternatively, the "personal licenses" may be assigned to each user individually by the group administrator operating the group administrator terminal 200 after all licenses have been granted to the group as "shared licenses."

[0144] Furthermore, with the "license purchase plan," additional licenses can be purchased in addition to the predetermined licenses purchased through monthly subscriptions, etc. The "additional charge amount" shown in FIG. 5 is associated with the payment amount when additional licenses are purchased (e.g., for the current month). For example, if each license costs 1,000 yen, 10 licenses can be added on condition that the group pays 10,000 yen (the following explanation uses an example in which each license costs 1,000 yen). When all licenses in the group have been activated or the remaining number is running low, the group administrator terminal 200 is notified, and an operation to purchase additional licenses is performed from the group administrator terminal 200. The "additional charge amount" may be a planned payment amount that is billed to the group, for example, the following month. Furthermore, the additional licenses may be associated with the group upon completion of payment and settlement of the additional charge amount.

[0145] On the other hand, if the "Usage Plan" is the "All-You-Can-Read Plan," there is no need to activate the license when granting users the right to use (view) electronic content. Users who belong to a group with the "All-You-Can-Read Plan" are granted unlimited e-book usage rights regardless of the number of usage rights they have been granted, even if usage rights have already been granted to the group as a whole or to individual users. For example, a group can use the "All-You-Can-Read Plan" by paying a predetermined usage fee based on the number of users in the group (e.g., the more users there are, the cheaper the fee) and the contract period (e.g., the longer the contract, the cheaper the fee).

[0146] For example, in Figure 5, group G1 is using the "License Purchase Plan" and has 30 remaining shared licenses. Furthermore, the additional charge is 10,000 yen, so 10 of the remaining shared licenses are additionally purchased licenses. Groups G2 and G5 are using the "All-You-Can-Read Plan," and since there are no remaining shared licenses or additional charges, the remaining number of shared licenses is 0. Group G6 is additionally charged 50,000 yen, so 50 additional licenses were purchased, but all of them have been activated, so the remaining number of shared licenses is 0.

[0147] The "group-related content ID" is the ID of an electronic book purchased (selected) by a group administrator or the like based on an operation on the group administrator terminal 200. Books for which a member user can obtain usage rights can be selected from among books associated with the "group-related content ID" of the group to which the user belongs.

[0148] (Example of a user data table) Fig. 6 is an example of a user data table related to usage rights stored as user information 123 in storage unit 120 of server 100. In the user data table of Fig. 6, each user is associated with a "user ID," "user name," "group ID to which the user belongs," "number of remaining personal licenses," "content ID for which usage rights have been granted," and a "content name" corresponding to the content ID.

[0149] As described above with reference to FIG. 5, the "remaining number of personal licenses" is the remaining number of "personal licenses" granted to each user separately from the "shared licenses" shared within the group when the usage plan of the group to which the user belongs is the "license purchase plan." Only the user to whom the license is granted can activate the licenses. Furthermore, in the provision system 1, even if there are remaining shared licenses, if there are remaining personal licenses, the personal licenses are activated (consumed) first.

[0150] For example, user u1 has three remaining personal licenses, so he can activate (use) a personal license to be granted usage rights for three e-books. On the other hand, user u2 has zero remaining personal licenses, so in order to be granted usage rights for e-books, he must activate (use) a shared license associated with group G1 to which he belongs. Furthermore, users u4 and u5 who belong to group G2 with the unlimited reading plan can be associated with usage rights for electronic content without activating a license, so their remaining personal licenses are zero.

[0151] A "content ID with usage rights granted" is the content ID of an e-book for which a user has been granted usage rights as a result of the user's first usage operation. A user can read a book once the usage rights have been granted. For example, when a user performs a first usage operation to attempt to read a book that the user has not yet read, the usage rights for that book are associated with the user and the content ID is added to the "content ID with usage rights granted."

[0152] (Example of a content table) Fig. 7 is an example of a content data table stored as content data 121 in storage unit 120 of server 100. In the content data table of Fig. 7, each electronic book distributor is associated with a "publisher ID," a "publisher name," the "content ID," "book price," "royalty rate," and the like.

[0153] (Example of first-time use log table) FIG. 8 is an example of a log table in which a log of electronic content for which a user has performed a first-time use operation is recorded as first-time use log data 124 in the storage unit 120 of the server 100. In this embodiment, based on the information recorded in the first-time use log table illustrated in FIG. 8, processing is performed to pay royalties to the seller of the electronic content each time a user performs a first-time use operation. The royalties paid to the seller are sourced from the usage fee collected from the group according to the usage plan and the bookshelf registration fee collected from the group, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 21. The first-time use log table records information associated with the "first use date," which is information on when the first-time use operation was performed; the "group ID" and "user ID" as information on the user who performed the first-time use operation; and the "content ID," "book price," "royalty rate," and "publisher ID" corresponding to the content, which are information for determining the amount of royalties to be paid by the operator of the provision system 1 to the seller of the electronic content for which the first-time use operation was performed.

[0154] For example, in FIG. 8, it is recorded that user u1 belonging to group G performed the first use operation of content "book1" on February 1, 2023 (see the first use date). Also, on the same day, user u2 also performed the first use operation of "book1" and also the first use operation of "book3." Since the book price of "book1" is 1,000 yen and the royalty rate is 50%, the amount of royalty paid to the distributor is 500 yen. Furthermore, since the book price of "book3" is 1,600 yen and the royalty rate is 50%, the amount of royalty paid to the distributor is 800 yen. Therefore, a total of 1,300 yen in royalties will be generated for publisher P1, the distributor of "book1" and "book3," as a result of the first use operations of users u1 and u2 on February 1, 2023, as illustrated in FIG. 8. For example, the royalty amount may be calculated for each distributor based on the first use log table and for each predetermined period (e.g., daily or monthly) by the operator of the provision system 1, or may be calculated for each predetermined period (e.g., daily or monthly) by the control unit 130 of the server 100, and the royalty amount may be output to a terminal operated by the operator of the provision system 1 (a terminal that is not shown in Figure 1 but is capable of communicating with other computers via network 2).

[0155] The first-time use log may be recorded at the same time that the user performs the first-time use operation and is granted the right to use the book, or may be recorded at a different time from the time that the right to use the book is granted. For example, books for which a user has been granted a new right to use may be extracted for each specific period (e.g., daily or monthly) based on the user data table illustrated in FIG. 6, and recorded in the first-time use log table. The royalty rate may be set arbitrarily, for example, based on an agreement with a distributor. Furthermore, the royalty rate is not limited to being determined for each book, and the royalty amount may be set according to the price range of the book (e.g., 300 yen if the book price is 500 to 1,000 yen, 500 yen if the book price is 1,000 to 1,500 yen, etc.). In this case, for example, a royalty table by price range that defines a fixed royalty amount for each range of book prices may be stored in the memory unit 120, and when calculating the royalty amount based on the first-time use log table, the total royalty amount may be calculated by referring to the royalty table by price range (alternatively, each time a first-time use operation is recorded in the first-time use log, it may be recorded in the first-time use log).

[0156] As described with reference to Figures 7 and 8, this embodiment is a B2B (business-to-business) business model in which the payment of the usage fee itself is made by the group. However, by executing a process for paying royalties to the seller each time a user first uses an e-book, each user is granted a usage right for the e-book, allowing them to freely use the e-book, as in a B2C (business-to-consumer) business model. Therefore, there are no restrictions on the number of simultaneous users or the usage period (e.g., the e-book's viewing period). Therefore, users can freely leave notes and highlights on the e-book and use it whenever they like, just like with e-books purchased personally. In other words, it is like having employees individually own books purchased by a company. Therefore, for example, a large group of people, such as 100 new employees, can all view the same book at the same time for training purposes. Note that while e-books are intangible, the ownership described above refers to the granting of usage rights with no particular restrictions on the period or number of times of use, a concept similar to the user's perception of owning a tangible object. Furthermore, if a user no longer belongs to a group or if the group contract becomes invalid, the user will no longer be able to use the e-book. This corresponds to a case where a user personally purchases an e-book but deletes the account for the service (e.g., an e-book store) through which the e-book was purchased, and usage is restricted regardless of the nature of the usage right granted. In other words, the usage right in this embodiment does not have usage restrictions imposed on the usage right itself.

[0157] (Example of usage table) 9 is an example of a data table relating to the usage status of each electronic book stored as usage status data 125 in the storage unit 120 of the server 100. In this embodiment, a user can set a usage status for an electronic book that can be provided to the user by the provision system 1. The usage status (also referred to as a reading status or reading status) includes, for example, usage statuses such as "piled up" indicating that the user plans to read a book, "currently reading" indicating that the user is currently reading a book, and "completed" indicating that the user has finished reading the book. In addition, books for which usage status is set for each user are also referred to as books registered in the user's bookshelf.

[0158] In the usage status table of FIG. 9, "user ID," "group ID," "usage status related content ID," "content name," "usage status," "private settings," etc. are associated with each user. The "usage status related content ID" is associated with the ID of the content whose "usage status" has been updated and stored based on a setting operation by the user or a usage operation by the user. The setting operation by the user can be set arbitrarily by the user for each electronic content from the electronic content information screen of FIG. 13, which will be described later. Furthermore, when a user performs a first-time use operation for a book for which a usage status has not been set (unset), the usage status table is updated so that the information of the book for which the first-time use operation was performed and whose usage status has been set to "reading" is associated with the user.

[0159] As will be described later with reference to FIG. 12 and other figures, usage information can be made public and shared with other users in the group. Furthermore, the provision system 1 allows users to post reviews for each book, which are associated with each user, similar to usage information. This allows users to learn what books other users are using and what knowledge they have. For example, new employees can read the same books as their superiors, such as the president, and learn their superiors' views on the books, thereby deepening their understanding of the company's management policies and enabling them to perform their work in a better direction. Meanwhile, upper management can use this information to help them manage their subordinates, including new employees, and prevent them from leaving the company. Furthermore, colleagues' reading habits can reveal their efforts to improve their knowledge, which can inspire each other and increase their motivation to learn.

[0160] 5 and 6, and books associated with the group to which the user belongs. The user can also set usage status and post reviews for books to which the user does not have usage rights or books not associated with the group to which the user belongs, as long as the books are available through the provision system 1 (electronic content stored as content data 121). This allows the group administrator (e.g., book selector) to refer to reviews by the group members when selecting books to associate with the group.

[0161] As mentioned above, the user's book usage status and the like are made public to other users in the provision system 1. However, some users may not want to make their usage status or review postings public to other users, so by using the "private settings," it is possible to set whether to make each piece of electronic content public or private when updating usage status and the like.

[0162] For example, the books associated with the usage status of user u1 in FIG. 9 are not limited to "book1" and "book2" for which usage rights are granted as illustrated in FIG. 6, but also have usage statuses of "piled up" and "currently reading" set for "book3" and "book4" for which usage rights are not granted. Furthermore, for the books associated with the usage status of user u4 in FIG. 9, "piled up" and "currently reading" are associated with "book1" and "book2," which are books not associated with group G2 in FIG. 5 or user u4 in FIG. 6. Regarding usage status, information may be accumulated by attribute, etc., so that aggregated information can be provided to publishers (for example, information on the top-ranked books by user type (e.g., gender, age, department, etc.)).

[0163] <About the screen example> 10 to 15, examples of screens displayed on the display units of user terminal 300 and group manager terminal 200 in this embodiment will be described below. Note that similar screens are also displayed on the display unit of group manager terminal 200, and therefore the following explanation will be mainly based on examples of screens on the display unit of user terminal 300. However, if there are any operations that cannot be performed on user terminal 300, further explanation will be provided.

[0164] A menu area 10 is displayed at the top of the screen of a user terminal or the like for using the provision system 1 in this embodiment, displaying menu tabs, the number of licenses, etc. The menu tabs displayed in the menu area 10 in Fig. 10, etc., display Book Search TB1, Review TB2, Member TB3, My Page TB4, Book Reader TB5 (usage screen tool), etc.

[0165] When Book Search TB1 is selected, the electronic content search screen of FIG. 10 is displayed. When Reviews TB2 is selected, the review list screen of FIG. 11(A) is displayed. When Members TB3 is selected, the affiliated members list screen of FIG. 11(B) is displayed. When My Page TB4 is selected, the My Page screen (which is also a screen showing the user's own usage status) as shown in FIG. 12(B) is displayed. When Book Reader 15 is selected, the usage screen (viewing screen) of the electronic book that was last used (viewed) is displayed.

[0166] The number of licenses 13 displayed in the upper right corner of the menu area 10 in Fig. 10 and other figures shows the remaining number of personal licenses and shared licenses. Note that the number of licenses 13 may be hidden if the group to which the user belongs has an unlimited reading plan. Also, the number of shared licenses may not be visible to the user, but by displaying it, the user is made aware that the licenses are shared property within the group, and it is possible to prevent some users from using too many licenses.

[0167] Note that the menu area 10 displaying these menu tabs and the number of licenses, etc., may be displayed as a selection box on a home screen that is displayed after logging in, for example. Also, they may be displayed as tabs at all times on any screen, or may be displayed when a specific tab or icon is selected, or the display / non-display of tabs may be switched by clicking (tapping, etc.) on a specific area.

[0168] (Electronic content search screen) FIG. 10 is an example of an electronic content search screen. The electronic content search screen is displayed when a user logs in or when book search TB1 is selected. FIG. 10(A) is a group bookshelf search screen, which displays only electronic books corresponding to the "group-associated content ID" associated with each group shown in FIG. 5. For each book, bibliographic information such as the book title, publisher, author, and publication date, as well as usage status, are displayed along with the book cover image. The usage status for each book is displayed as a summary based on the usage status table for each user shown in FIG. 9. For example, the "Stocked Reading" status of 10, "Reading" status of 20, and "Finished Reading" status of 30 displayed corresponding to "Book 1" in FIG. 10(A) are displayed based on the summary results of the usage status for "book1" across the entire group.

[0169] 10(B) is a store search screen, which displays not only electronic books associated with a group, but also electronic books that can be associated with a group stored as content data 121 in server 100. The store search screen displays the category of each book, the price of the book, and information on whether the book has been purchased by the group (associated with the group) or not. The group administrator can perform book purchase operations (book selection operations) from the store search screen by operating group administrator terminal 200.

[0170] Furthermore, on both the group bookshelf search screen and the store search screen, the user can search for a desired book by entering a keyword in the search box 11 or narrowing down the categories. Furthermore, when the user selects and operates the target switching icon 12A on the group bookshelf in Fig. 10(A), the screen transitions to the store search screen in Fig. 10(B), and when the user selects and operates the target switching icon 12B on the store search screen, the screen transitions to the group bookshelf search screen.

[0171] (Examples of review screen and member screen) Fig. 11 shows examples of the review screen and the member list screen. Fig. 11(A) displays a list of reviews posted by users belonging to the group, and is displayed by selecting review TB2. Fig. 11(B) displays a list of members belonging to the group, and is displayed by selecting member TB3. In addition, desired members can be searched for by entering keywords in search box 11.

[0172] The review screen in Fig. 11(A) displays the cover image of the book being reviewed, the book title, the icon image and user name (also referred to as the user name, etc.) of the user who reviewed the book, and a favorable impression icon (for example, a thumbs-up mark) that is an icon that allows a user to take a favorable action for each review. Reviews may be posted from an electronic content information screen or My Page, which will be described later, or the review screen may be transitioned to a screen where reviews can be posted (for example, by selecting "Post a review from My Page" as shown in Fig. 11(A), one can transition to My Page).

[0173] The member list screen in Fig. 11(B) displays the icon images and user names (user names, etc.) of users (members). Also, as shown in Fig. 11(B), the department and job title of each user, a message, etc. may be displayed. When a user's username, etc. is selected, the screen transitions to the usage status screen (bookshelf screen) in Fig. 12, where the book usage status of the corresponding user (member) can be checked.

[0174] (Example of user usage status screen) FIG. 12 is a display example of a usage status screen (bookshelf screen) for each user. FIG. 12(A) is an example of a member screen (other user's bookshelf), which is a usage status screen for other users, displayed together with the usage status of the member (user) when the user name of a member belonging to the group illustrated in FIG. 11 is selected. For example, this is a display example when the member screen for user u2 is displayed on the user terminal 300 of user u1. The member screen displays a list of books registered in 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 viewed date are displayed.

[0175] In addition, usage status tabs RS1, RS2, and RS3 are displayed, which allow a selection operation to extract a list of books by the displayed user's usage status. Each usage status tab (RS1 to RS3) also displays the number of books corresponding to each user's usage status. As shown in FIG. 12(A), other tabs may also be displayed, such as Review RTB, which displays a list of books for which the user has posted reviews, and Like LTB, which displays a list of books for which the user has taken a like action. The Review RTB and Like LTB may also display the number of books reviewed and the number of times the user has taken a like action, similar to the usage status tabs. By selecting one of these usage status tabs RS1 to RS3, Review RTB, Like LTB, or other tabs, a portion of the screen (e.g., the bottom of the screen) is switched to display information corresponding to the selected tab.

[0176] FIG. 12(B) is an example of a screen displayed when My Page is displayed, and is displayed when the user selects the user's own username from the usernames shown in FIG. 11, or when My Page TB4 is selected from the menu area 10. FIG. 12(B) shows, for example, the My Page screen for user u1. My Page displays a list of books registered in the user's own bookshelf (usage status is set for each user in FIG. 9) operating the user terminal 300, allowing the user to check the usage status of each book and to check and view books with associated usage rights. As in FIG. 12(A), for each book, the usage status associated with the user, the last viewed date, and the usage operation icon R as a usage operation section are displayed.

[0177] By selecting the usage operation icon R, for books for which the user has already been assigned (granted) usage rights, the user can transition to the book usage screen and view the book. On the other hand, for books for which usage rights have not yet been assigned, the book can be viewed after the initial usage process for associating usage rights is completed, as will be described later with reference to Figures 15 and 20. As in Figure 12(A), review RTB and favor LTB may be displayed, allowing the user to check books for which reviews have been posted and books for which favor actions have been taken. Furthermore, the usage operation icon R may also be displayed for each book on the member screen in Figure 12(A).

[0178] The usage status tabs (RS1 to RS3) displayed in Figures 12(A) and (B) can be selected to extract and display a list of books with the selected usage status from among the books with usage statuses associated with the corresponding user (registered in the bookshelf). Figure 12(C) is an example of a screen in which, when "Reading" RS2 is selected on the My Page in Figure 12(B), books associated with "Reading" for user u1 in Figure 9 are listed. Note that, to help the user easily distinguish whether a book has a usage right or not, an icon indicating that a usage right has been granted or the last viewed date may be displayed to enable the user to recognize that the book has a usage right. For example, since user u1 has been granted a usage right for books 1 and 2 in Figure 12(B), the last viewed date is displayed. However, since book 4 shown in Figure 12(C) has a usage status set but does not have a usage right, the last viewed date is not displayed.

[0179] (Example of electronic content information screen) FIG. 13 is a display example of an electronic content information screen that displays detailed information for each book. The electronic content information screen is displayed by selecting a book (for example, by selecting the book's cover image or book title) from the electronic content search screen, review list screen, user usage status screen, etc., illustrated with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. The display mode of the electronic content information screen changes depending on whether the usage status of the book has been set for the user who owns the user terminal 300 on which the screen is displayed (see FIG. 9) and whether the user is associated with a group to which the user belongs (see FIG. 5). In either case, the screen displays the book's cover image, bibliographical information, summary, etc., as well as aggregated information on usage status in the group to which the user belongs and review posts based on the usage status table in FIG. 9. Also displayed is a current usage status 20 that indicates information on the usage status of the book by the user who owns the user terminal 300 on which the electronic content information screen is displayed.

[0180] 13(A) is an example of an electronic content information screen that is displayed when the selected book is a book associated with the group to which the book belongs and the usage status has not been set. The current usage status 20 displays a message such as "This book is not on the bookshelf" to indicate that the book is not registered on the user's bookshelf.

[0181] On the other hand, Figure 13(B) is an example of an electronic content information screen that is displayed when the selected book is a book for which usage status has already been set, and the current usage status 20 displays a message such as "This is a book currently being read" as information indicating that the usage status is associated with the user.

[0182] 13(C) is an example of an electronic content information screen that is displayed when the selected book is a book that is not associated with a group. In this case, the current usage status 20 displays a message such as "This is an unpurchased book" as information indicating that the book is not yet associated with a group (an unpurchased book). This improves the convenience for the group manager when purchasing a book from the group manager terminal 200.

[0183] When the selected book is associated with a group, the electronic content information screen displays a usage operation icon R (read) as a usage operation section, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B. The electronic content information screens of FIGS. 13A to 13C also display a usage status setting icon ST (change reading status), which is an icon for setting usage status, various usage status tabs RS1 to RS3 that display the results of tallying the usage status of users in the group for each book, and a list of reviews and posting fields for the book. As illustrated with reference to FIG. 12, when a usage status tab RS1 to RS3 is selected, a list of members whose usage status for the book corresponds to the selected tab is displayed. Furthermore, when a review RTB, a favorable LTB, or the like is selected, a list of members who have reviewed or favored the book is displayed. For example, when a stacked reading RS1 is selected on the electronic content information screen, a list of members in the group whose usage status is set to stacked reading in the usage status table of FIG. 9 is displayed. 13(A) is an example of a screen when review RTB is selected and a list of reviews is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Note that the review RTB and likes LTB on the digital content information screen may display the number of reviews and likes made for the book. Also, the review list may be displayed at the bottom of the default screen when the digital content information screen is displayed.

[0184] When the usage status setting icon ST is selected, the user can set any usage status for the book, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 14 etc. This usage status setting operation can also be set for books for which the user has no usage rights associated and for which the group has not yet purchased. Furthermore, when a usage right is associated with a book for which the usage status has not been set by selecting the usage operation icon R (first-time usage operation), the usage status is set to "reading." Note that a private setting for each book may also be possible so that other users do not know that the book has been registered in the bookshelf. For example, in FIG. 9, book 3 (book3) for which user u2 has set the private setting to private is not displayed on the usage status screen that can be viewed by other users in FIG. 12(A).

[0185] Figure 13(D) is an example of a matching member list display screen that displays a list of members who match the selected usage status (the usage status is set to the selected usage status in the usage status table of Figure 9) when a usage status tab (RS1 to RS3) displayed on the electronic content information screen in Figures 13(A) to (C) is selected. Figure 13(D) displays a list of members in a group who have set the usage status for book 2 (book2) as currently reading.

[0186] (Example of screen transition when updating usage status) An example of screen transitions when a 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 as Figs. 13(A) to 13(C). When a usage status setting icon ST is selected on the electronic content information screen, options for usage status (piled up, currently reading, finished reading) are displayed, as shown in Fig. 14(B). When the user selects one of the usage statuses, the usage status of the book in the usage status table for each user in Fig. 9 is updated to the usage status selected by the user.

[0187] In addition, in FIG. 14(A), the current usage status 20 displayed "This book is not on the bookshelf" because the usage status of the book has not yet been set for the operating user. However, based on the user's operation to set the usage status, the current usage status 20 changes to display "This book is on the backlog," as illustrated in FIG. 14(C). 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 or updated, on the My Page screen illustrated in FIG. 12(B), the backlog RS1 in the usage status tab for each user is increased from 26 to 27, and since the book is not on the bookshelf, the book is added to the bookshelf list (see the dotted line). Note that while an example screen for updating usage status for a book for which usage status has not yet been set has been described, even if usage status has already been set, the usage status table in FIG. 9 is updated, and each usage status tab, etc., is updated in the same way.

[0188] (Example of screen transition when granting usage rights) Figure 15 shows an example of screen transitions when a user is granted a usage right by performing an initial usage operation for a book. Figure 15(A) is an electronic content information screen (similar to Figures 13(A), (B), etc.) for a book associated with the group to which the user belongs (see Figure 5). If the group's usage plan is the license purchase plan described with reference to Figure 5, even if the book is associated with the usage status table of Figure 9, for a book for which the user does not have a usage right associated with it (see Figure 6), when the usage operation icon R is selected, a license activation confirmation screen for asking whether it is OK to activate a personal license or a shared license is superimposed on the electronic content information screen, as shown in Figure 15(B).

[0189] The license activation confirmation screen in FIG. 15(B) displays a cancel icon B1 and a valid icon B2. The license activation confirmation screen closes when the user selects the cancel icon B1 or selects any icon other than the valid icon B2. On the other hand, when the valid icon B2 is selected, a license activation processing screen, such as the license activation processing screen illustrated in FIG. 15(C), is displayed to indicate that the license activation process is currently being performed on the server 100. When the license activation process is completed and the user data table in FIG. 6 is updated so that the user who performed the first-time usage operation is associated with the usage rights for the book, a usage screen for the book is displayed, as illustrated in FIG. 15(D). In the following embodiments, an example will be described in which, when a user belonging to a group with an unlimited reading plan selects the usage operation icon R, the screen transitions to the usage screen in FIG. 15(D). However, even for users belonging to a group with an unlimited reading plan, the license activation confirmation screen illustrated in FIGS. 15(B) and 15(C) may be displayed. Although no license is actually activated (consumed), the user can have the feeling that he or she has been granted the right to use the book for which the first use operation was performed.

[0190] Furthermore, when a usage right is associated with a user for a book for which a usage status setting has not yet been set, a usage status of "reading" is automatically assigned, and the usage status is added and updated to the usage status table for each user in FIG. 9. In this case, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 15(E), the current usage status 20 in FIG. 15(A) is changed from "This book is not on the bookshelf" to "This book is currently being read" and displayed. Also, as in FIGS. 14(C) and 14(D), "Reading" RS2 is incremented by 1, and the book is added to the user's bookshelf list. Furthermore, the usage status previously set by the user takes precedence over the automatic assignment at the time of assignment of the usage right. Therefore, for a book for which a usage status has already been set and which was on the bookshelf, the usage status remains as the previously set usage status, but the last viewed date is displayed. Even if the usage status was previously set by the user, the usage status may be automatically updated to "reading" when the usage right is assigned.

[0191] <Example of processing> Next, the processes executed by the control unit 130 of the server 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 16 to 20. The various processes described with reference to Figures 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 manager terminal 200).

[0192] (Example of processing related to electronic content provision) An example of the electronic content provision-related processing executed by the server 100 in this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0193] In step S101, it is determined whether a login request has been made from the user terminal 300. If it is determined that a login request has not been made, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S101 that a login request has been made, it is determined in step S102 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.

[0194] If it is determined in step S102 that the user belongs to a valid group, an electronic content search screen display process is executed in step S103. When the electronic content search screen display process is executed, the electronic content search screen exemplified in Fig. 10 is displayed on the user terminal 300, and the user can search for books within the group or the store.

[0195] On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S102 that the user belongs to a valid group, the process is terminated. For example, if a login request is made by user u55 who belongs to group G50 whose contract status is invalid in Fig. 5, the process is terminated. At this time, for example, the server 100 may transmit information to the user terminal 300 of user u55 to display a notification screen indicating that login is not permitted.

[0196] In step S104, it is determined whether or not a request for displaying an electronic content search screen has been made. For example, if it is determined in step S104 that a request for displaying an electronic content search screen has been made by selecting book search TB1, the process returns to step S103, and the electronic content search screen display process is executed.

[0197] On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S104 that a request for displaying an electronic content search screen has been made, then in step S105 it is determined whether a request for displaying a review screen has been made. For example, when review TB2 is selected, it is determined in step S105 that a request for displaying a review screen has been made, and review list screen display processing is executed in step S106. When the review list screen display processing is executed, the review list screen of Fig. 11(A) is displayed on the user terminal 300 that made the display request, and the process proceeds to step S115.

[0198] If it is determined in step S105 that a review screen display request has not been made, then in step S107 it is determined whether a member list screen display request has been made. For example, when member TB3 is selected, a member list screen display process is executed in step S108. When the member list screen display process is executed, the member list screen of 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.

[0199] If it is determined in step S107 that a request to display a member list screen has not been made, it is determined in step S109 whether a request to display a My Page has been made. For example, when My Page TB4 is selected, My Page display processing is executed in step S110. When the My Page display processing is executed, the My Page screen exemplified in FIG. 12(B) is displayed, and the processing ends.

[0200] If it is not determined in step S109 that a My Page display request has been made, it is determined in step S111 whether or not a usage screen tool selection operation has been made. A usage screen tool is an icon, tab, or the like for displaying a book viewing screen, and if, for example, Book ReaderTB5 is selected, it is determined in step S111 that a usage screen tool selection operation has been made, and the usage screen of the electronic content previously used is displayed in step S112, and the process proceeds to step S115.

[0201] If it is determined in step S111 that no operation for selecting a screen tool has been performed, it is determined in step S113 whether or not any other operation other than an end operation (e.g., logging out, closing the browser, etc.) has been performed. If it is determined in step S111 that any other operation (e.g., various setting operations, or selection operations for notifications, etc.) has been performed, processing according to the other operation is executed in step S114, and the process proceeds to step S115.

[0202] In step S115, it is determined whether or not a termination operation has been performed. An termination operation is, for example, a logout or an operation to close an application (such as a web browser application or a native application dedicated to using the provision system 1). If it is determined in step S115 that a termination operation has been performed, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is not determined that a termination operation has been performed, the process returns to step S104, and the process (such as the process according to the previously received request) is repeatedly executed.

[0203] (Example of electronic content information screen display processing) Next, an example of electronic content information screen display processing executed by the server 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17. The electronic content information screen display processing is processing for displaying the book details screen of Fig. 13 on the user terminal 300 in response to a selection operation of a book displayed in Figs. 10 to 12, etc.

[0204] In step S201, it is determined whether the selected book is electronic content associated with the group to which the user belongs, as illustrated with reference to Fig. 5. If it is determined in step S201 that the selected book is electronic content associated with the group, in step S202, information for displaying an electronic content information screen with a usage operation unit is sent to the user terminal 300. For example, a screen showing detailed information about the book is displayed, displaying the usage operation icon R (read), as illustrated in Figs. 13(A) and (B).

[0205] In step S204, it is determined whether or not a selection operation of the usage operation unit has been performed. If it is determined that a selection operation of the usage operation unit has been performed, in step S205, a usage screen providing process, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 20, is executed, and the process ends. For example, it is determined that a selection operation of the usage operation unit has been performed when the usage operation icon R in Fig. 13 has been selected.

[0206] Returning to step S201, if it is determined that the selected book is not electronic content associated with a group, in step S203, the electronic content information screen without the usage operation unit, as shown in Figure 13 (C), is displayed.

[0207] If it is determined in step S204 that no selection operation of the usage operation unit has been performed, or after the electronic content information screen without the usage operation unit has been displayed in step S203, it is determined in step S206 whether or not a selection operation of a usage status tab (RS1 to RS3) has been performed. If it is determined that a selection operation of a usage status tab has been performed, a process of displaying a list of matching members that match the selected usage status is performed in step S207. For example, when "Reading" RS2 of the usage status tab shown in FIG. 13 is selected, a process of displaying a list of users whose usage status for book 2 is set to "Reading" on the user terminal 300 is performed, as shown in FIG. 13(D).

[0208] If it is determined that the usage status tab has not been selected, then in step S208 it is determined whether or not a usage status setting operation has been performed. If it is determined that a usage status setting operation has been performed, then in step S209 the usage status update process described with reference to Fig. 14 is performed. For example, when a user selects the usage status of the book to "completed" by selecting the usage status setting icon ST on the electronic content information screen of Fig. 13, the usage status table of Fig. 9 is updated, and the updated usage status is reflected on the electronic content information screen and member screen (including My Page) of each user terminal 300 (for example, Figs. 14(C), (D), etc.).

[0209] If it is not determined in step S208 that a usage status setting operation has been performed, it is determined in step S210 whether or not a selection operation of a reviewed member has been performed. If it is not determined that a selection operation of a reviewed member has been performed, the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that a selection operation of a reviewed member has been performed, in step S211, a member screen display process, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 18, is performed, and the process is terminated. For example, when a user name or the like of any member is selected from the reviews displayed on the detailed screen for each book, as exemplified in Fig. 13, the process is performed so that the member screen (including My Page) of Fig. 12 is displayed.

[0210] (Example of member screen display processing) Next, an example of member screen display processing executed by the server 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 18. The member screen display processing is executed when a user name or the like of any member is selected on the review screen of Fig. 11(A) displayed in step S106 and step S108 of Fig. 16 described above, the belonging member list screen, or the matched member list display screen of Fig. 13(D) displayed in step S207 of Fig. 17, or in response to a selection operation of a member reviewed in step S210 of Fig. 17.

[0211] In step S301, it is determined whether the user whose user name etc. was selected is the same as the user who performed the selection operation. If it is determined that the user who performed the selection operation is the same as the user who performed the selection operation, in step S302, a My Page display process, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 19, is performed, and the process ends.

[0212] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S301 that the selected user is not the same user who performed the selection operation, that is, if the selected user is a user other than the user who performed the selection operation, processing is performed in step S303 to display the book usage status of the selected other user. For example, when user u1 selects the username of user u2 on the review list screen in Fig. 11(A), processing is performed to display the member screen in Fig. 12(A) displaying the usage status of user u2 on the user terminal 300 of user u1.

[0213] In step S304, it is determined whether or not a selection operation of the usage status tab has been performed. If it is determined that a selection operation of the usage status tab has not been performed, the process proceeds to step S306. If it is determined that a selection operation of the usage status tab has been performed, the selected usage status is extracted and displayed from the usage status of the selected user in step S305. For example, when "Completed reading" RS3 is selected on the member screen of user u2 in FIG. 12(A), books that are associated with "Completed reading" for user u2 in the usage status table illustrated in FIG. 9 are displayed as a list on the user screen.

[0214] Next, in step S306, it is determined whether or not a request for displaying an electronic content information screen has been made. If it is determined that a request for displaying an electronic content information screen has not been made, the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that a request for displaying an electronic content information screen has been made, in step S307, the electronic content information screen display process described above with reference to Fig. 17 is performed, and the process is terminated. For example, by selecting any of the books displayed on the member screen in Fig. 12(A), the electronic content information screen of that book in Fig. 13 is displayed.

[0215] (Example of My Page screen display process) Next, an example of a My Page screen display process executed by server 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 19. The My Page screen display process is a process that is executed in response to a My Page display request (for example, step S110 in Fig. 16 in response to My Page TB4 being selected and operated, or step S302 in Fig. 18 in response to the fact that the user who selected the user name or the like is the same user who performed the operation).

[0216] In step S401, a process for displaying the usage status of the user is performed. That is, the usage status of the user who has 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.

[0217] Next, in step S402, it is determined whether or not a request for displaying an electronic content information screen has been made. If it is determined that a request for displaying an electronic content information screen has been made, in step S403, the electronic content information screen display process described above with reference to Fig. 17 is performed, and the process ends.

[0218] If it is determined in step S402 that a request for displaying an electronic content information screen has not been made, then in step S404 it is determined whether or not a selection operation has been made on the usage operation unit of the electronic content. If it is determined that a selection operation has been made on the usage operation unit, then in step S405 a usage screen providing process, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 20, is executed, and the process ends. For example, the usage screen providing process is executed by selecting the usage operation icon R displayed for each book on My Page in Fig. 12(B).

[0219] If it is not determined in step S404 that a selection operation has been performed on the electronic content usage operation section, then in step S406 it is determined whether or not a selection operation has been performed on the usage status tab. If it is not determined that a selection operation has been performed on the usage status tab, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that a selection operation has been performed on the usage status tab, then in step S407 the electronic content of the operated usage status is extracted and displayed, and the process returns to step S402. For example, when "Reading" RS3 on the usage status tab of the My Page screen in FIG. 12(B) is selected, books in the user's bookshelf whose usage status is set to "Reading" are extracted and displayed, as shown in FIG. 12(C).

[0220] (Example of usage screen provision process) Next, an example of a usage screen providing process executed by the server 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 20. The usage screen providing process is a process (steps S204 to S205 in Fig. 17, steps S404 to S405 in Fig. 19, etc.) executed in response to a selection operation of a usage operation icon R, which is a usage operation section displayed on a user's usage status screen such as the electronic content information screen in Fig. 13 or the member screen or my page screen in Fig. 12.

[0221] In step S501, it is determined whether the user who performed the selection operation on the usage operation unit has already been granted the right to use the electronic content. If the right to use has already been granted, in step S514, a usage screen display process for the electronic content is performed, and the process ends. For example, if user u1 selects the usage operation icon R for a book that is already associated with the right to use, a book viewing screen such as that shown in Figure 15(D) is displayed.

[0222] If it is determined in step S501 that the usage right for the electronic content has not been granted, it is determined in step S502 whether the usage plan of the group to which the user belongs is a license purchase plan. If it is determined in step S502 that the usage plan of the group is a license purchase plan, the process proceeds to step S503, where it is determined whether there are any remaining personal licenses.

[0223] If it is determined in step S503 that there are remaining personal licenses, then in step S505, the license validation confirmation screen shown in Fig. 15(B) is displayed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S503 that there are not remaining personal licenses, that is, if it is determined that the remaining number is 0, then in step S504, it is determined whether there are remaining shared licenses. If it is determined in step S504 that there are remaining shared licenses, then in step S505, the license validation confirmation screen shown in Fig. 15(B) is displayed.

[0224] On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S504 that there are any remaining shared licenses, there are no licenses to be activated to grant usage rights, and therefore in step S506, a notice to the user terminal 300 that there are no remaining licenses is notified, and the process ends. Note that if it is not determined in step S503 that there are any remaining personal licenses, the user may be notified that there are no remaining personal licenses, even if there are remaining shared licenses.

[0225] Returning to step S505, when the license activation confirmation screen is displayed, it is determined in step S507 whether or not execution has been selected. If it is determined that execution has been selected, license activation processing is performed in step S508. For example, if the user who selected and operated the usage operation unit is u1, the user belongs to group G1, whose usage plan is a license purchase plan, and therefore the data table for each group illustrated in FIG. 5 is referenced, and it is determined in step S502 that the usage plan of the group to which the user belongs is a license purchase plan. Also, for user u2, the number of remaining personal licenses is 0 as shown in FIG. 6, so it is not determined in step S504 that there are any remaining personal licenses. However, since the number of remaining shared licenses in group G1 to which the user belongs is 30, it is determined in step S505 that there are any remaining shared licenses.

[0226] On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S507 that execution has been selected, it is determined in step S510 whether or not another operation has been performed. If it is not determined that another operation has been performed, the process returns to step S507. If it is determined in step S510 that another operation has been performed, the process returns to step S507. If it is determined that another operation has been performed, the process of displaying the electronic content information screen described above with reference to Fig. 17 is performed in step S511, and the process ends. For example, on the license validation confirmation screen of Fig. 15(B), when the cancel icon B1 is selected or any other operation on the screen other than the valid icon B2 is clicked (tapped), it is determined in step S510 that another operation has been performed, and the book details screen of Fig. 15(A) is displayed again.

[0227] In step S509, the usage rights of the electronic content are associated with the user (the usage rights are granted), and the first-time usage log is updated to pay royalties to the distributor. For example, when the activation icon B2 in FIG. 15(B) is selected, it is determined that execution has been selected, and a process is executed to display the activation in progress screen in FIG. 15(C) on the user terminal 300, and the book associated with the usage rights is added to and updated in the data table for each user in FIG. 6. Also, in order to pay royalties to the publisher of the book, the first-time usage log table in FIG. 8 is updated by adding information about the first usage operation of the book (such as the first usage date and time exemplified in FIG. 8).

[0228] Returning to step S502, if it is determined that the usage plan of the group to which the user belongs is not a license purchase plan, the process proceeds to step S509. For example, if the user belongs to groups G2 and G5 in Fig. 5, the plan is an all-you-can-read plan, so the user is granted a usage right for the book for which the user performed the first usage operation without activating the license, and the first usage log is updated so that royalties are paid to the publisher of the book.

[0229] After the usage rights are granted and the initial usage log is updated in step S509, it is determined in step S512 whether the usage status of the electronic content has not yet been set. If it is determined that the usage status has not yet been set, a usage status update process is performed in step S513, and a usage screen display process for the electronic content is executed in step S514. For example, when a usage right is granted for a book that is not associated with a user in the usage status table, the book is added to the user in the usage status table, and the usage status is updated to be "completed." By executing the usage status update process, as illustrated in FIG. 15(D), the display of "This book is not on the bookshelf" in the current usage status 20 is changed to "This book is currently being read." Note that, even if the usage status of a book is automatically set to "currently being read," as illustrated in FIG. 14 and other examples, the usage status can be changed and updated to any usage status desired by the user based on the user's operation on the usage status setting icon ST.

[0230] Returning to step S512, if it is not determined that the usage status has not yet been set because the usage status has already been set, the process proceeds to step S514, where a usage screen display process for the electronic content is performed, and the process ends.

[0231] <Example of a purchase log> An example of a log table when a group administrator purchases a book to be associated with a group will be described below with reference to Fig. 21. This book purchase refers, for example, to a company administrator selecting a book that the company wants employees to read and registering it on the company's bookshelf. In this embodiment, when registering a new book on a group's bookshelf (associating new electronic content with a group), some companies have contracts that require a book purchase fee as a bookshelf registration fee in addition to a payment according to the usage plan, and other companies do not require a purchase fee (they only need to make a payment according to the usage plan).

[0232] The purchase log table in Figure 21 associates the "group ID" that made the book selection, the "content ID" for which the book was selected, the "group bookshelf registration date" which is the date the book selection was made, the "book price," "discount price," "consumption tax," and "charge amount" for the book.

[0233] For example, the book selector for the group displays the store search screen of FIG. 10(B) on the group administrator terminal 200 and selects books to associate with the group from among the unpurchased books. Selecting each book also displays a book details screen, such as the one shown in FIG. 13(C), which can be used as a reference for book selection if the usage status settings and reviews posted by users in the group have been made. Groups G1 and G2 in FIG. 21 are groups that do not require the purchase of books, so the "discount price" is the same as the "book price" and the "billing amount" is 0 yen. On the other hand, group G8 is a group that requires the purchase of books, so there is no "discount price," and the total of the "book price" and "consumption tax" is entered as the "billing amount."

[0234] <When digital content associated with usage rights becomes unavailable> In this embodiment, the electronic content for which a user has been granted a usage right is not subject to restrictions on the viewing period or number of simultaneous possessions for the entire group or for individual users, as is the case with conventional corporate or school libraries or conventional all-you-can-read services. In principle, the usage right is granted without restrictions on the period, number of times, or number of possessions, similar to books purchased by an individual user. However, when a user no longer belongs to a group, i.e., when the user resigns or withdraws from the group, the electronic content for which the user has been granted a usage right may become unavailable. For example, when a user terminal 300 of a user who has been removed (released) from a group by a group administrator's operation on the group administrator terminal 200 requests login (synchronization request) to the e-book service of the provider system 1, the server 100 (e.g., the user management unit 134, the group management unit 133) executes processing to reject the login request.

[0235] Furthermore, if electronic content information (e.g., EPUB data) has been downloaded to the user terminal 300 of a user who has become a non-affiliated user, when the server 100 receives information requesting synchronization from the user terminal 300 via a login request or the like, the control unit 130 (e.g., the content management unit 132, the user management unit 134, etc.) transmits to the user terminal 300 information for disabling the electronic content information stored in the user terminal 300. Furthermore, when a dedicated native app for the provision system 1 downloaded to the user terminal 300 determines that the user has become a non-affiliated user based on the information received from the server 100, it executes processing to delete the electronic content information stored in the terminal. Alternatively, processing may be executed to delete electronic content information to which a usage right has been granted, which is stored for each user in the server 100.

[0236] Disabling is not limited to deleting electronic content information (such as an EPUB file) on the server 100 or the user terminal 300, but also includes, for example, deleting the encryption key for decrypting the content information, generating a new encryption key for decryption based on license authentication information (making the old key unusable), or sending 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.

[0237] Furthermore, a usage period (viewing period (e.g., one week)) may be set in the access information for accessing electronic content, and when a synchronization request is received from the user terminal 300, the server 100 may transmit information indicating that an extension of the usage period has been approved to the user terminal 300, enabling the user to view the book, provided that the user belongs to a valid group. Therefore, disabling may include, when a synchronization request is received 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 usage period, causing the expiration of the electronic content information stored in the storage unit 320 of the user terminal 300, making it impossible for the user terminal 300 to view the book. Alternatively, disabling may include preventing non-member users from re-downloading electronic content information (e.g., an EPUB file or an encryption key), thereby making it impossible for the user to view the book if the non-member user deletes the electronic content information of the book from the storage unit 320 of the user terminal 300.

[0238] <Modification> Modifications of the first embodiment described above are listed below.

[0239] <Trial use of electronic content for which no usage rights have been granted> (First form of processing by trial reading operation) In the above-described embodiment, examples of first-time use operations include an operation of selecting the usage operation icon R for electronic content for which a usage right has not yet been granted to the user, and an operation of confirming the granting of a usage right on the license activation confirmation screen, which is displayed by selecting the usage operation icon R and is described with reference to Fig. 15 etc., and an example has been described in which the usage right is granted by the first-time use operation, and the user is then able to use the electronic content (a usage screen for the electronic content on which a book can be read is displayed). However, instead of or in addition to this, when the user performs an operation to perform a trial use of electronic content for which a usage right has not yet been granted (hereinafter referred to as a trial read operation), the server 100 may determine that a first-time use operation has been performed, grant the usage right, and make the electronic content for which the trial read operation has been performed usable until a trial read termination condition is met. For example, when a user performs a preview operation, a process is executed to grant the user a usage right for the book for which the preview operation was performed (part of step S509 in FIG. 20), and when a preview end condition is met, a confirmation screen or the like is displayed prompting the user to select whether or not to grant the usage right, and when a confirmation operation is performed to confirm the granting of the usage right (the condition for continuing use is met), the first usage log is updated (part of step S509 in FIG. 20). Even after a confirmation operation is performed, the usage right already granted may be maintained as is, or a process may be performed to newly grant this usage right to the user. When a confirmation screen is displayed when the end condition is met, if a confirmation operation is not performed, the usage right granted by the preview operation is released and the first usage log is not updated. When the first-time usage log is updated based on the preview operation (such as when the first-time usage log is updated, or when the book is recorded in the user database of Figure 6, added to the user bookshelf as illustrated in Figure 12, etc., and displayed, and the first-time usage log is scheduled to be updated), the usage rights (usage rights that have already been granted through preview reading and will remain as they are, or the actual usage rights that will be newly granted to the user) are usage rights with no particular restrictions (for example, the number of simultaneous viewers, usage period, number of uses, etc.), as in the above-mentioned embodiments.In addition, when the termination conditions are met, the first use log may be updated automatically without the need to display a confirmation screen or perform a confirmation operation (assuming the conditions for continuing use are met).

[0240] Furthermore, even if a book has been previewed once and the first-time use log has not been updated by a confirmation operation or automatically, the usage right may be granted again by performing a preview operation again later, and the first-time use log may be updated by performing a subsequent confirmation operation or the like, so that the granted usage right becomes unlimited. Alternatively, a limit may be set on the number of previews that each user can perform (for example, only once), and when the limit on the number of previews is exceeded, the usage right may be granted in step S509 of Figure 20 and the first-time use log may be updated by performing a new first-time use operation (selecting the usage operation icon R or the license activation confirmation operation of Figure 15(B)) as exemplified in the above embodiment.

[0241] The preview end conditions include, for example, a predetermined range of the e-book (e.g., 3% of the entire book (e.g., the entire text data or the number of pages) from the beginning of the book) and a predetermined available viewing time (e.g., 3 minutes) after opening the e-book usage screen (the viewing screen, such as FIG. 15D). Even if a user does not have a usage right, when it is determined that a preview operation has been performed, the user is temporarily granted a usage right and is able to preview the book. If it is determined that the viewing range of the book has exceeded the predetermined range or the available viewing time has elapsed, and the user belongs to a group with a license purchase plan, an activation confirmation screen (e.g., the modal screen illustrated in FIG. 15B) is displayed, displaying a message such as "You must activate your license to continue reading. Do you want to activate it?" If the user performs an activation operation (equivalent to steps S502 to S508 in FIG. 20), a process to update the first-time usage log may be executed (equivalent to a part of step S509 in FIG. 20). As mentioned above, even with the unlimited reading plan, there are no licenses that can be activated (decreased through consumption), but a license activation confirmation screen can be displayed as a confirmation screen, and when a confirmation operation is performed, a process to update the first-time usage log can be executed.

[0242] A preview operation includes, for example, selecting the usage operation icon R for a book for which a usage right has not been granted, displaying a message "Do you want to preview?" by selecting the usage operation icon R and the user operating an icon to execute preview, displaying a preview icon that indicates preview execution is possible and selecting the preview icon, etc. Also, if the initial usage log is automatically updated in response to a preview operation, a message such as "The preview will end soon. If you continue browsing, you will be granted usage rights for the book and this book will be added to your bookshelf" may be displayed when the end condition is met (for example, when the end condition is met or just before the end condition (for example, when the content of the book displayed on the usage screen reaches 2% of the book or when 2 minutes have passed since viewing began)).

[0243] (Second form of processing by trial reading operation) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which electronic content cannot be used unless a usage right is granted, but it may be possible to use the electronic content even if a usage right is not granted during trial use until the termination condition is met. For example, a book may be viewable even if a usage right is not granted until the termination condition is met, and after the termination condition is met, a confirmation screen indicating that the usage right is granted may be displayed, and the usage right will not be granted unless a confirmation operation is performed to grant the usage right, making it impossible to view the book. Note that in this case, as in the first embodiment described above, the termination condition may include a predetermined range of books, a time period during which the book can be viewed, etc. For example, when a user attempts to preview a book for which no usage rights have been granted, processing is performed to make the book available for viewing (for example, displaying a usage screen), and when the termination condition is met, if the user belongs to a group for the license purchase plan, an activation confirmation screen (for example, the modal shown in Figure 15(B)) is displayed, and if the user performs an activation operation (corresponding to steps S502 to S508 in Figure 20), the usage rights for the book are associated with the user as a first-time usage operation, and processing is performed to update the first-time usage log (granting processing corresponding to step S509 in Figure 20).

[0244] <About usage plans> In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which a license purchase plan and an all-you-can-read plan coexist for the group usage plans described with reference to Figure 5, etc. However, for electronic content for which a user belonging to a group does not have a usage right associated with it, when the user performs a first-time usage operation, the usage right is granted to the user and the first-time usage log of Figure 8, which serves as a log for paying royalties to the publisher, is recorded, and only one of the plans may be used.

[0245] <About the license> In the above embodiment, the "license purchase plan" is an example of a plan for monthly subscription purchases. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the plan may be one in which a predetermined number of licenses are purchased each time a purchase request is made from the group (for example, when an operation to purchase licenses is performed on the group manager terminal 200, or when a purchase request is conveyed to the manager of the provision system 1).

[0246] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which a license is added by the group administrator performing an additional purchase operation for the additional purchase of a license under the "license purchase plan." However, this is not limiting. Alternatively, or in addition, an automatic billing system may be adopted, and when the number of licenses reaches a predetermined remaining number (e.g., zero or two), the control unit 130 may update the group information 122 or user information 123 in the storage unit 120 so that the additional license is associated with the group or user. Note that, although the example has been described in which the payment amount is associated with the group management table of FIG. 5 regarding the purchase of an additional license, the number of additionally purchased licenses may also be associated.

[0247] 5, an icon or application form for performing a license addition request operation may be displayed on the user terminal 300, so that when a user belonging to the group wishes to replenish a personal license (or a shared license), the user can transmit addition request information to the group administrator terminal 200. The additional license to be purchased is not limited to a shared license, and may be purchased as a personal license.

[0248] The additional licenses may be purchased in predetermined units (for example, 10 licenses) determined in advance by the administrator of the provision system 1, or may be purchased in the number of units desired by the group administrator (for example, 1 license). Licenses are not limited to those that can be added later, and may be designed so that, for example, if there are too many licenses, they can be reduced later from the group administrator terminal 200 (for example, an operation to return some of the licenses to the provision system 1, or an operation to reduce licenses assigned to each user as personal licenses and return them to shared licenses).

[0249] Furthermore, even if there are remaining licenses (remaining number of shared and personal licenses) as described in Figures 5, 6, etc., the "shared license" and the "personal license" may be reset every month. Alternatively, the remaining number may be accumulated. For example, the licenses from the previous month may be accumulated so that they can be carried over to the next month, or the period for which they can be accumulated may be limited (for example, accumulated licenses may expire the month after next). Alternatively, one of the "shared license" and the "personal license" (for example, the shared license) may be reset, but the other (the personal license) may be allowed to accumulate without being reset.

[0250] In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the "license purchase plan" includes both a "shared license" and a "personal license," but the plan may include only either a "shared license" or a "personal license."

[0251] Furthermore, the number of personal licenses assigned individually to each user may be less than the total number of shared licenses (for example, 5 licenses are assigned per user, and the total number of shared licenses is 10), or may be more than the total number of shared licenses (for example, 10 licenses are assigned per user, and the total number of shared licenses is 5). Alternatively, the numbers may be the same (for example, 5 licenses per user, and the total number of shared licenses is also 5). In this way, by assigning at least one personal license to each user, opportunities for assigning usage rights to affiliated users can be ensured.

[0252] In addition, the total number of personal licenses (N users x number of licenses per user) and the total number of shared licenses may be the same, or one may be granted so that either is greater. Regarding activation of shared licenses, a limit may be placed on the number that can be activated per user. This prevents too many licenses from being activated for some users.

[0253] In the above-described embodiment, as explained in steps S504 and S505 of Fig. 20, when a personal license is available, the personal license is given priority in activation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When it is determined in step S502 of Fig. 20 that the user belongs to a group of a license purchase plan and there are remaining personal licenses and shared licenses, the user may be allowed to select whether to activate the shared license or the individual license. Alternatively, the shared license may be given priority in activation.

[0254] <Examples of screen display modes> In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which a part of the screen is switched to display information corresponding to a selected tab, such as the usage status tabs RS1 to RS3, review RTB, and favorable impression LTB, displayed on the user usage status screen of Fig. 12 or the electronic content details screen of Fig. 13. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the selection of various tabs may transition to a different screen, such as a list display. Note that, although an example has been given of a screen in which the selected tab is highlighted, the display mode of the tab may not change when the tab is selected.

[0255] 13 has been described as an example in which the display mode changes depending on whether or not the usage status has been set, but the display mode may also change depending on whether or not the user has been granted a usage right. For example, regardless of whether or not the usage status has been set, an icon or the like that allows the user to recognize whether or not the usage right has been granted (for example, for a user in a group with a license purchase plan, a message saying "This is a book with a valid license" may be displayed for a book to which the usage right has been granted).

[0256] <About usage status> In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the usage status can be set and reviews can be posted for books that have not been purchased or for which usage rights have not been granted, with reference to Fig. 14 etc. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the usage status etc. may be set only for books associated with a group or books for which usage rights have been granted.

[0257] <Availability of electronic content> In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which a user can use a book by performing a first-time use operation if the book is associated with a group such as that shown in FIG. 5 . However, this is not limiting, and even if the book is associated with a group to which the user belongs, the range of electronic content that can be used may be limited depending on the user's attributes, etc. 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 job title or the department to which the user belongs. In this case, only books that are appropriate for the user's attributes, such as job title, may be made available, and the books may be displayed as books associated with the group.

[0258] <Regarding royalties> In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which a process for updating the first-time use log and providing the seller with a fee corresponding to the royalty is performed in response to a first-time use operation by a user in relation to the generation of royalties to a seller. In addition, royalties may be generated in response to a purchase (selection) of a book to be associated with a group by a group administrator, as described with reference to FIG. 21. For example, the purchase log of FIG. 21 may be associated with information for determining the amount of royalties, such as a royalty rate, as in the first-time use log of FIG. 8, and stored in storage unit 120. Similarly to the example of calculating the amount of royalties to be paid to a seller based on a first-time use operation described with reference to FIG. 8, the amount of royalties to be paid to a seller may be calculated based on the purchase of a book by the group administrator.

[0259] <About distributors to whom royalties are paid> In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the distributors from which royalties are paid are publishers or authors. However, the distributors to which royalties are paid may also include e-book distributors that act as intermediaries between multiple publishers and the e-book store (providing system 1). For example, when calculating the total amount of royalties for each publisher (or each book) in the first-time usage log recorded in response to the user's first-time usage operation as illustrated in FIG. 8, the total amount may be multiplied by the royalty rate to the e-book distributor. This amount may be calculated by the operation of the operator of the providing system 1, or may be output to a terminal operated by the operator of the providing system 1 at predetermined intervals. Note that the calculation of royalties to be paid to distributors does not have to be at the same time as the calculation of royalties to be paid to distributors, and may be performed at a different time. For example, the amount of royalties to be paid to distributors may be calculated each time a first-time usage operation is performed, based on the information recorded in the first-time usage log of FIG. 8.

[0260] <Example of processing on a user device> A part of the processing in the distribution server 100 described in the above embodiment may be performed in the user terminal 300. For example, a dedicated native application or the like pre-downloaded to the user terminal 300 may be launched, and based on information previously received from the server 100, even in an offline environment, the processing of the screens from step S103 onwards in Fig. 16 may be executed in the user terminal 300, and for a book for which electronic content information has been downloaded (a book for which a usage right has been granted), when the usage operation icon R (usage operation section) is selected in the my page screen display processing in step S110, Fig. 19, etc., usage screen providing processing such as step S405 in Fig. 19 may be performed.

[0261] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the electronic content providing system according to the present invention will be described below. In addition to the functions described in the first embodiment, the electronic content providing system 1 (also referred to as the providing system 1 as mentioned above) in the second embodiment further includes a sharing function for further improving the user experience (UX) obtained through electronic content. The functions described below enable users to discuss electronic content with other users on a bulletin board (hereinafter also referred to as a chat room) in order to share their opinions and emotions about the electronic content with other users, and enable users to share markers (hereinafter also referred to as emotion labels) associated with specific areas within the electronic content according to the emotions they felt. As with the first embodiment, the following description will use an e-book as an example of electronic content. The invention according to the second embodiment will be described as being applied to the providing system 1 in the first embodiment, which can be used by users belonging to a group such as a company, and the other users will be described as other members of the group. However, the invention according to the second embodiment can also be applied to so-called general B2C e-book stores where users individually purchase electronic content. In the case of a BtoC electronic book store or the like, the other users with whom the content is shared are other users who use the same electronic book store or the like (for example, who have registered an account).

[0262] <Configuration Example of Server of Electronic Content Providing System 1 in Second Embodiment> The hardware configuration, the configuration within each computer, and the functional configuration of the electronic content providing system 1 according to the second embodiment can be similar to the configuration of the electronic content providing system 1 according to the first embodiment described above with reference to Figures 1 to 4. More specifically, for example, the various data stored in the storage unit 120 of the server 100 will include comment posting data of comments posted on a bulletin board, marker data that is information about markers associated with specific ranges within the electronic content, and the like.

[0263] In this embodiment, a bulletin board is provided for each electronic book. Furthermore, comments quoting specific sections of a book (e.g., a portion of a sentence in a novel) can be posted to the bulletin board. The comment posting data includes information on which book the bulletin board is associated with, stored as content data 121, information identifying the user who posted the comment, the posting date and time, the posting content, text information on the specific section of the book quoted in the post, and information identifying the location of the specific section (e.g., EPUB CFI, page number, etc.). For example, the data is stored in a data table such as that shown in FIG. 24, which will be described later. For example, when the control unit 130 (e.g., the content management unit 132, the user management unit 134, etc.) receives posting data to the bulletin board from the user terminal 300 (e.g., including the ID of the corresponding bulletin board or book, information identifying the content of the comment body, location information of the quoted specific section, etc.), the control unit 130 associates and updates the posting content, such as the comment body, and location information of the quoted specific section, and stores the comment posting data. Furthermore, in response to receiving request information for displaying the bulletin board from the user terminal 300, the control unit 130 performs processing to transmit the requested bulletin board comment information, etc., identified from the comment posting data by the control unit 130 to the user terminal 300 by the data transmission / reception unit 131. As a result, the bulletin board screen (hereinafter also referred to as the talk screen) is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300.

[0264] The marker data includes information on which book the marker (emotion label) is associated with stored as content data 121, the type of marker (e.g., emotion type), information on the user who associated the marker, the number of users who associated the marker, text information on the specific range with which the marker is associated, and information specifying the position of the specific range (e.g., EPUB CFI, page number, etc.). The marker data is stored, for example, in a data table such as that shown in FIG. 34, which will be described later. For example, when the control unit 130 (e.g., content management unit 132, user management unit 134, etc.) receives information associating the marker with a specific range in a book from the user terminal 300 (e.g., including the ID of the corresponding book, the marker type, and location information of the specific range), the control unit 130 associates and updates the information on the specific range with which the marker is associated, the number of users who associated the marker, and so on for each book, and stores the information. Furthermore, in response to receiving request information from the user terminal 300 to display a marker list screen including information on a specific range associated with markers of other users, the control unit 130 performs processing to transmit the marker data for each book identified from the marker data, etc., to the user terminal 300 by the data transmitter / receiver 131. As a result, a marker list screen including markers associated by other users is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300.

[0265] 6 and the like, may be associated with information specifying a comment posted by quoting a specific range of an electronic book to which the user has a usage right (or a comment containing only the main text without a quote), a specific range or marker type to which a marker is associated, or a personal memo (memorandum) associated with the specific range that is not made public to other users. Information specifying these comments on bulletin boards, markers, memos, etc. may also be stored in the storage unit 320 of the user terminal 300, updated by the control unit 350 in response to a user operation, and the updated information may be transmitted to the server 100.

[0266] <Examples of bulletin board screens and data tables> Below, examples of screens and data tables of the bulletin board provided in the provision system 1 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 to 25. The bulletin board provided in the provision system 1 is a chat room where comments about e-books can be shared with other users. The bulletin board in this embodiment can be displayed from an electronic content information screen, a home screen, a My Page, or the like provided for each book, without going through the book usage screen (without opening the viewing screen), and transition to the book usage screen can also be made via the bulletin board screen. Furthermore, the book usage screen can be displayed from an electronic content information screen, a home screen, a My Page, or the like provided for each book, without going through the bulletin board, and transition to the bulletin board for that book can also be made via the book usage screen. Furthermore, on the bulletin board in this embodiment, it is possible to post comments quoting part of the contents of a book (e.g., a specific range of text), and further, by manipulating the quoted portion (e.g., the quoted text) posted on the bulletin board, the book usage screen can be displayed to display the quoted portion of the book.

[0267] (Bulletin board screen example) Fig. 22 shows an example of a bulletin board screen in this embodiment and a usage screen to which transitions occur via the bulletin board. Fig. 22(A) is an example of an electronic content information screen that displays detailed information for each book. Note that, in the second embodiment, an example is described in which the screen is displayed on a portrait display such as a smartphone, but it may also be displayed on a landscape display like the example screen shown in the first embodiment.

[0268] The electronic content information screen of FIG. 22(A), similar to FIG. 13 described above, is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300 when a book is selected (for example, by selecting the book's cover image or book title) from the book search screen, the bookshelves of other members (other users), the bookshelves displayed on the user's personal page, etc. As with FIG. 13, FIG. 22(A), which is one aspect of the electronic content information screen, displays, for each book, the book's cover image, bibliographic information, summary, etc., a usage operation icon R, a usage status setting icon ST, current usage status 20, usage status tab RS, and a review section 22 displaying reviews of the book. Furthermore, FIG. 22(A) displays a marker section 21 that displays the total number of markers associated by the user with the book for each marker type, and a talk section 23 for displaying comments posted on the bulletin board for the book (comments posted on the talk screen). The review section 22 and the talk section 23 display some of the posted reviews and comments (for example, the most recent posts, posts that have attracted a lot of attention from other users (e.g., a large number of like actions), etc.). The introduction label 27 displayed at the top is a marker associated with the book displayed on the electronic content information screen or a tag assigned according to the status of the bulletin board. The introduction label 27 will be described in detail later.

[0269] If the user wants to check other comments in more detail other than those displayed in the talk section 23, the user can operate the talk list display icon 26 (for example, displaying text such as "Read other comments") displayed in the talk section 23 to display the talk list screen (bulletin board comment list screen) shown in FIG. 22(B) described later. Similarly, if the user wants to check other reviews in more detail, the user can operate the review list display icon 25 (for example, displaying text such as "Read other reviews") displayed in the review section 22 to display the review list screen of reviews made for the book.

[0270] When the user operates the marker list display icon 24 (for example, displaying text such as "See more") displayed in the marker column 21, a marker list screen is displayed that displays a list of the ranges (for example, sentences in a specific range) associated with the markers described below with reference to Figure 33.

[0271] FIG. 22(B) is an example of a talk list screen for each book. The talk list screen is displayed when the talk list display icon 26 is selected on the electronic content information screen of FIG. 22(A) or when a predetermined operation is performed on the usage screen (viewing screen) of the book. Details regarding the predetermined operation performed on the book usage screen will be described later with reference to FIG. 23 and FIG. 25. FIG. 22(B) is a bulletin board about book A, where comments can be posted by users using the provision system 1, allowing for free discussion about book A. The talk list screen of FIG. 22(B) displays a usage operation icon R, a talk search window 31, a talk filter 32, a comment input field 33, a comment posting button 34, and various posted comments 30.

[0272] The comment 30 displays the user's icon image and username (e.g., username), the posting date and time, the comment body, and, if the post quotes a specific range from within a book, a quote Q displaying the quoted content along with the comment body. A comment displaying a quote Q is also referred to as a quoted comment. Also displayed are a reply icon 35 for replying to the comment, a reply list icon 36 for displaying a list of replies to the comment, an icon for performing a like action (like) on the comment, and the number of like actions. The talk section 23 in FIG. 22(A) displays only a portion of the comment 30 (e.g., a portion of one comment 30, or multiple comments 30 from all the comments on book A).

[0273] When a quote Q displayed in comment 30 is selected, a usage screen for the book is displayed, displaying the specific range corresponding to the selected quote Q (for example, positioned in the center or at the beginning), as shown in Figure 22(C). For example, when quote Q in comment 30 in Figure 22(B) is selected, which displays the example sentence "aiueo..." from book A as the quoted content, a usage screen is displayed displaying the quoted "aiueo..." from book A. In addition, the quoted portion may be highlighted, as in quote QH, so that the quoted portion can be distinguished from the rest of the text.

[0274] Returning to FIG. 22(B), reply comments will be described. A user can reply to each comment by selecting the reply icon 35. Each comment 30 displayed on the bulletin board is assigned a comment number in the order in which the comment was posted. For example, if a user wants to reply to comment number 1, the user can post a reply to comment number 1 by operating the reply icon 35 displayed on the comment 30 with comment number 1 (for example, by generating an anchor link to comment number 1 and inserting it into the comment). In this way, a reply list icon 36 is displayed for each comment 30 to which a reply has been made. Operating the reply list icon 36 can display a screen (reply comment list screen) in which only the comment (parent comment) and reply comments (child comments) to the comment are extracted, as shown in FIG. 22(D). Note that a reply comment to the parent comment can also be entered from the reply comment list screen. Furthermore, selecting the reply icon 35 of any comment 30 in FIG. 22(B) displays the reply comment list screen of FIG. 22(D) for the comment 30 being operated, along with the comment input field 33 in which an anchor link to the comment 30 being operated is entered. When a comment with the anchor link entered is posted, the screen can be transitioned to display the parent comment by operating on the anchor link in the text, and when the anchor link is included in the text, reply comments that include the anchor link of the parent comment are displayed in a list on the reply comment list screen for the parent comment.

[0275] Methods for posting comments to the bulletin board include using the comment input field 33 on the talk list screen in Figure 22(B) or the reply comment list screen in Figure 22(D), or displaying the comment input field 33 via the usage screen and posting a comment, as will be described later with reference to Figure 23.

[0276] Additionally, on the talk screen, by entering any characters into the talk search box 31, any character string can be searched for within comments posted on the bulletin board (talk room). Furthermore, by operating the talk filter 32 displayed on the talk screen, the comments displayed on the talk screen can be sorted and rearranged in any order, or only comments containing quotes from books (comments posted with a quote Q) or only comments without quotes (comments not including a quote Q) can be extracted. Furthermore, by operating the talk filter 32 or by selecting a search option in the talk search box 31, the search target can be specified to search only for quote Q, only the text of comments other than quote Q, or both quote Q and the text of comments. This makes it easy for users to find comments posted about the content of a desired book.

[0277] In addition, tabs (icons, buttons, etc.) that enable the display of a marker list screen or a talk list screen may be displayed together with the usage status tabs RS1 to RS3 in FIG. 12 of the first embodiment, the review RTB, and the tabs displayed in the menu area 10. Furthermore, some areas displayed on the electronic content information screen may be switched by operating various tabs, list display icons, etc. For example, when an icon that displays various list screens is selected, the area below the usage status setting icon ST in FIG. 22(A) may be switched to display various list screens.

[0278] (Example of the transition to the quote posting screen) FIG. 23 shows an example of screen transitions when posting a comment from the usage screen to a bulletin board (talk screen) such as FIG. 22(B). FIG. 23(A) shows an example of a book usage screen (e.g., the viewing screen for book A). For example, if a user wants to quote the range "aiueo..." as an example in a displayed sentence and comment on that range, the user selects the "aiueo..." they want to quote by touch operation, mouse operation, or the like, as shown in the figure. Note that the operation of selecting a certain range in a book is also called a specific range designation operation. When a specific range is selected by a user operation (e.g., by stopping the touch operation or stopping the selection with the mouse), a toolbar 40 is displayed as shown in FIG. 23(B). The toolbar 40 displays marker icons T1 to T3, a link generation icon T4, and a talk icon T5.

[0279] The marker icons T1 to T3 are buttons that allow the user to associate a marker with a specific range, such as a sentence, selected in FIG. 23(A). Different types are defined for each of the marker icons T1 to T3. The types of marker icons include not only different colors but also different definitions corresponding to, for example, human emotions (definitions of thoughts, etc.). In this embodiment, markers corresponding to emotions are also referred to as emotion labels. In this embodiment, three types of markers are defined as markers that can be associated within a book. The first marker corresponds to the marker icon T1, and the icon mark is a thumbs-up mark and is blue. For example, the user can associate (highlight) the first marker with a range that represents a favorable impression, such as "like." This allows the user to highlight a blue marker in the range selected by the user. The second marker corresponds to the marker icon T2, and the icon mark is a heart mark and is red. For example, the user can associate (highlight) the second marker with a range that represents an emotion, such as "I was moved!" The third marker corresponds to the marker icon T3, and the icon mark is a light bulb mark and is yellow in color. For example, the user can arbitrarily associate (draw) the third marker with a specific range of emotions such as "I had an idea! I made a discovery!" Details of the markers corresponding to emotion labels will be described later with reference to FIG. 33 etc.

[0280] Note that the default settings may be set in advance, or the settings may be changed by the user, including increasing or decreasing the number of marker types. For example, the user may be able to change the color for each emotion label, and may be able to select whether to display or hide markers corresponding to emotion labels and markers with only a general coloring function that is different from emotion labels, in the options on the toolbar 40.

[0281] As will be described later with reference to FIG. 31 and other figures, the link generation icon T4 allows the user to obtain a link specifying the range selected by the user. For example, a user can obtain a link for the selected range by selecting the range "AIUEO..." in FIG. 23(A) and operating the link generation icon T4. Thereafter, when posting a comment from the chat screen, etc., shown in FIG. 22(B), the user can paste the obtained link into the comment input field 33 and post the comment. As a result, when posting a comment not only on the bulletin board for Book A but also on the bulletin board for another book (e.g., Book B) other than Book A, by pasting the link obtained from the user screen for Book A and posting the comment, a quote Q3 quoting part of Book A's "AIUEO..." will be displayed, as shown in FIG. 31(C) and other figures. Furthermore, by operating the quote Q3, which displays the contents of Book A, displayed on the chat screen for Book B, the user can transition to the user screen displaying Book A's "AIUEO..." as shown in FIG. 22(C).

[0282] The talk icon T5 is an icon for posting a comment on the bulletin board about the range selected by the user in Fig. 23(A). When the talk icon T5 is operated, a posting screen (posting modal screen 50) that allows posting of a comment quoting the selected range is displayed superimposed on the usage screen, as shown in Fig. 23(C).

[0283] The range "A, I, U, E, O..." selected by the user in Figure 23(A) is displayed in the upper modal area 51 of the posting modal screen 50 in Figure 23(C). Below that, highlight buttons MB1 to MB3, a comment input field 33 for posting a comment to the bulletin board, a comment posting button 34, and other comments 30 are displayed. In addition, by operating the close button 52, the display of the posting modal screen 50 can be closed.

[0284] The marker buttons MB1 to MB3 correspond to the first to third emotion labels (marker icons T1 to T3 in FIG. 23(B)) described above with reference to FIG. 23(B). Along with a mark of the corresponding emotion label icon, the marker buttons MB1 to MB3 display the number of markers associated by other users (e.g., other members of the group to which the operating user belongs) for the same range selected by the user in FIG. 23(A), for each type of marker. Furthermore, the user can associate (highlight) the selected range of "AIUEO..." with a marker by operating the marker buttons MB1 to MB3 displayed on the posting modal screen 50. For example, operating the marker button MB1 associates the first emotion label with the selected range, operating the marker button MB2 associates the second emotion label with the selected range, and operating the marker button MB3 associates the third emotion label with the selected range.

[0285] The comment input field 33 allows the user to enter any comment, similar to the comment input field 33 on the talk list screen of FIG. 22(B). After entering a comment in the comment input field 33, by operating the comment posting button 34, a posting completion screen is displayed as shown in FIG. 23(D). When posting is completed, for example, the talk list screen of FIG. 22(B) displays a comment 30 in which the range selected in FIG. 23(A) is displayed in the quote Q. This allows the user to post a comment quoting any specific range from the usage screen. Note that, although an example in which the posting completion screen shown in FIG. 23(D) is displayed after posting has been described, this is not limiting. After posting, the screen may transition to the talk list screen of FIG. 22(B) to display the posted comment 30.

[0286] A comment 30 that may be displayed on the posting modal screen 50 of FIG. 23(C) (for example, assume that a comment was posted on the bulletin board for the book before the comment posted in FIG. 23) is a quoted comment that quotes a specific range from comments on the bulletin board for the book (e.g., Book A) that overlaps with the range "aiueo..." selected by the user in FIG. 23(A). The overlapping range may be, for example, a complete match with the selected range "aiueo...," a comment that selects a range that is part of the selected range (e.g., "ueo"), or a comment that selects a range that partially overlaps with the selected range (e.g., "...aiu"), which selects a quoted range from a sentence before the selected range). In this way, even if another user has already quoted the range selected by the user, the user can select (specify) the same range or an overlapping range to post a quoted comment. Furthermore, by displaying the comment 30 that selects the overlapping range, the user can check what discussions are already taking place on the bulletin board before posting a comment. The comments 30 may be displayed in the order of citations or in the order of comment numbers (posting order).

[0287] Furthermore, a user can transition to the talk list screen of FIG. 22(B) by performing a predetermined operation on the posting modal screen 50 of FIG. 23(C) or (D). In other words, a complete transition from a screen that simply displays comments on the user screen to the bulletin board itself is possible. By transitioning to the talk list screen of FIG. 22(B) instead of viewing on a simple screen, the user can view not only the comments displayed in FIG. 23(C) but also other comments (e.g., other comments related to the book's bulletin board, including quoted comments and non-quoted comments not displayed on the modal screen), enabling deeper discussion about Book A. Examples of predetermined operations include operations on the text of the talk in FIG. 23(C), operations on the comment 30 or the posted comment in FIG. 23(D) (e.g., tapping or clicking on the user name or comment body), and operations on a predetermined icon (e.g., displayed with the text "See more"). Performing a predetermined operation can transition to the talk list screen of FIG. 22(B). 23(C), operating the reply list icon 36 will display a list screen of reply comments to the comment 30, as shown in Fig. 22(D). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the reply comment list screen may be displayed such that the reply comments are expanded on a modal screen when the reply list icon 36 is selected.

[0288] In addition to the icons mentioned above, the toolbar 40 displayed in Figure 23(B) may also display icons for storing personal notes (personal notes, memoranda) that are not made public to others by associating them with the selected range, and icons for associating comments that are different from comments on the bulletin board for discussions (for example, an icon for internal comments) as notices to groups to which the user belongs (for example, the company to which the user in the first embodiment belongs, or user groups (user-selected associates, circles, etc.) described later with reference to Figure 32, friends, etc.).

[0289] Furthermore, the screen that allows posting of the selected range displayed by operating the talk icon T5 does not have to be a modal screen that allows simple posting, as exemplified in FIG. 23(C), but may be one that allows posting of a comment by directly transitioning to a bulletin board itself, such as a talk list screen. For example, when the talk icon T5 in FIG. 23(B) is selected, the screen transitions to the talk list screen in FIG. 22(B), and the quoted selected range may be displayed at the top of the talk list screen in a manner that allows the user to recognize it, allowing the user to post a comment. Furthermore, similar to the comment 30 displayed in FIG. 23(C), the screen may transition to a talk screen that extracts and displays only quoted comments that cite a range that overlaps with the range selected by the user.

[0290] It is possible to post a review of a book from an operation menu or the like displayed on the book's usage screen, but in this embodiment, the review content cannot be quoted from the book. Therefore, postings quoting the book's content are permitted on a bulletin board different from the review. However, this is not limiting, and reviews may also be permitted to quote the book's content. For example, an icon or the like for posting a review quoting a selected specific range may be displayed in the toolbar 40 of FIG. 23(B).

[0291] (Example of a bulletin board data table) Next, referring to FIG. 24, an example of a table of bulletin board data stored as comment posting data in the storage unit 120 of the server 100 will be described. In the bulletin board data table, a "posting ID" and the like are associated with each "book ID." The "posting ID" is information that identifies the posting of each comment 30 exemplified in FIG. 22(B) and the like, and is associated with the "posting date and time" when the post was made, the "posting user ID" of the user who made the post, and the "comment content" which is the content of the comment body. Furthermore, for quoted comments, "quotation portion text information" for displaying the text of the quoted portion in the quote Q on the talk screen and "quotation portion location information" for identifying the quoted portion are associated.

[0292] Quotation location information is information that identifies the location of a quotation within content (a book). For example, EPUB CFIs (Canonical Fragment Identifiers) can be used as location information. For EPUB publications, one identifier (EPUB CFI) is defined for each point within an EPUB file. By storing an EPUB CFI corresponding to a user's selection within a book in association with a comment (quote Q), when a user selects a quotation Q on the talk screen, the display screen of the user terminal 300 can transition to the location in the book where the EPUB CFI corresponding to the quotation Q is defined. Furthermore, by comparing CFIs, the EPUB CFI can identify the context (such as the display order) of each CFI within the content. This allows the talk filter 32 to sort comments 30 containing quotation Qs displayed on the talk screen according to their display order within the book. For example, as shown in FIG. 23, by selecting an arbitrary specific range of "aiueo..." from Book A (a book whose book ID is book1) as the quotation range and posting a comment, the comment's posting ID, the posting user's ID, the posting date and time, the comment text entered in the comment input field 33, and the character information of the quotation range "aiueo..." and the EPUB CFI (e.g., a path such as "#epubcfi / ...") corresponding to the position of "aiueo..." in Book A are stored in association with each other in book1 of the bulletin board data table of FIG. 24. As a result, as shown in FIG. 22(B), a comment 30 including a quotation Q is displayed on the talk screen of Book A, and by operating the quotation Q, the position of the "aiueo..." corresponding to the quotation Q can be identified and displayed, as shown in FIG. 22(C). Note that the bulletin board data table of FIG. 24 illustrates an example in which comments posted in FIG. 23(D) are assigned sequentially starting with a posting ID of 1.However, regarding the other comments 30 shown as an example on the posting modal screen in Fig. 23(C), although not shown in the example table in Fig. 24, comments are associated with comments prior to posting ID 1 in the example table in Fig. 24, and are displayed when there is a previous comment that has already been posted citing a range that overlaps with the range selected by the user in Fig. 23(A). The same is true for the example posting modal screen in Fig. 30(A) that will be described later.

[0293] (Example of suggestion information displayed on the usage screen) An example of suggestion information displayed on the usage screen will be described with reference to FIG. 25. In this embodiment, suggestion information refers to information suggesting that the range of the book's contents (content content) displayed on the usage screen includes the range quoted in the quoted comment. In this embodiment, a suggestion icon S is displayed on the usage screen as suggestion information. The suggestion icon S is displayed on the usage screen in a position that does not interfere with the use of the electronic content (a position that does not interfere with viewing the book), along with the number of quoted comments. For example, the suggestion icon S in FIG. 25(A) is displayed in an area at the bottom edge of the usage screen, in an area that does not overlap with the content (e.g., text).

[0294] FIG. 25(A) is an example of a usage screen, displaying a portion of book A. If any point (for example, even a single character) within the range displayed in FIG. 25(A) from "01" in the upper right to "Tachitsuteto" to "...." in the lower left is selected as the quoted range of a quoted comment, it is counted as a quoted comment by the control unit 130 or the like. The number of quoted comments counted in this way is displayed in the suggestion icon S. FIG. 25(A) shows that there are five quoted comments that have been selected within the displayed range.

[0295] Furthermore, if there is a range on the usage screen to which the user has associated a personal memo, a personal memo OH, which is information suggesting the presence of a personal memo, is displayed, as shown above the "sa-shi-su-se-so..." in FIG. 25(A). The personal memo OH is, for example, a highlight, and is displayed in a different manner from the suggestion icon S. This makes it easy for the user to distinguish between the presence or absence of a personal memo and the presence or absence of a quoted comment on the usage screen. Personal memos may be displayed by displaying an icon that enables the display of a personal memo input screen in the toolbar 40 of FIG. 23(B), which is displayed when the user selects a specific range of text, as shown in FIG. 23(A). The memo content (text information) entered by operating the icon may be associated with the EPUB CFI of the selected specific range and stored in the storage unit 320 of the user terminal 300, a user data table of the server 100, or the like.

[0296] When the user operates the suggestion icon S, the suggestion information modal screen 60 of FIG. 25(B) is displayed superimposed on the usage screen. The suggestion information modal screen 60 may display five comments 30 that quote any of the ranges displayed in FIG. 25(A). For example, a comment quoting "aiueo..." displayed in the center of FIG. 25(A) or a comment quoting "tachitsute..." displayed in the lower left of FIG. 25(A) may be displayed. Alternatively, a portion of the quoted range may be included in FIG. 25(A) (the quoted range may extend beyond the currently displayed range). For example, even if the quoted range includes a sentence before or after the sentence displayed in FIG. 25(A), if the quoted range includes the sentence displayed in FIG. 25(A), it is counted as a quoted comment in FIG. 25(A) and displayed on the suggestion information modal screen 60 of FIG. 25(B).

[0297] If the user wishes to view other comments about Book A from the suggestive information modal screen 60 of FIG. 25(B), similar to FIG. 23 described above, the user can transition to the chat screen of FIG. 22(B) by performing a predetermined operation on FIG. 25(B) (e.g., an operation on the text of the chat, an operation on the comment 30 (e.g., tapping or clicking on the user name or the comment body), or an operation on a predetermined icon (e.g., displayed with the text "See more")) instead of viewing on a simple screen. Note that an operation on the reply list icon 36 may display the reply comment list screen of FIG. 22(D), in which other comments are also displayed. This allows the user to easily check what comments have been made about the currently viewed range on the suggestive information modal screen 60, and if the user wishes to immediately return to viewing the book, the user can close the suggestive information modal screen 60 by operating the close button 62, allowing the user to resume viewing the book. Furthermore, if after simply checking the comments you wish to reply to the comments or engage in further discussion, you can proceed to the talk screen shown in Figure 22(B) by performing a specific operation. This allows you to learn other people's opinions without interfering with your reading, for example, when you want to prioritize reading the book but also want to share your impressions or questions with others about the part of the book that interests you.

[0298] The e-book in this embodiment is in the EPUB format and therefore has a reflow function. Therefore, when the font size of the book is changed by a user operation, the screen layout changes dynamically in response to the changed font size. In other words, rather than simply enlarging or reducing the font size, the number of characters displayed per page (which is perceived as one page by the user, as opposed to page division) changes in response to the font size. Figure 25(C) shows an example of a display screen after the font size is increased by operating the layout change icon 63 on the user screen of Figure 25(A). Because the font size is increased, the "aiueo..." character displayed in Figure 25(A) disappears. To display the "aiueo..." character that is no longer displayed in the layout with the current font size, the user must perform an operation such as turning the page forward. For example, by displaying the previous page using a swipe operation or a page-turning button, the "aiueo..." character will be displayed. Therefore, the range of the book displayed on the user screen (the range within the content) changes, and the range that is counted when a quoted comment is included changes accordingly. In other words, even if a comment is displayed in FIG. 25(A), if the quoted range is not included in the range displayed in FIG. 25(C), it will not be included in the number of comments displayed in the suggestion icon S. For example, in FIG. 25(C), due to a change in font size, the number of comments counted as including the current range of FIG. 25(C) in the quoted range has changed from 5 in FIG. 25(A) to 3. When the suggestion icon S in FIG. 25(C) is operated, a suggestion information modal screen 60 in FIG. 25(D) corresponding to the usage screen of FIG. 25(C) is displayed. In FIG. 25(B), a comment 30 quoting "aiueo..." was displayed, but since the range quoted in that comment is not included in FIG. 25(C), it is not displayed in the comment 30 on the suggestion information modal screen 60 in FIG. 25(D).

[0299] Also, the example has been explained in which the quoted comment displayed in the suggestion icon S in Figure 25(A) is not limited to comments whose quoted range is completely contained within the current display range, but even comments that quote a range that extends beyond the current display range are counted and displayed. This can be said to be a state in which text from a page before or after the page displayed in Figure 25(A) is included as part of the quoted range, but since content with a reflow function changes pages dynamically, even if the EPUB CFI included in the quoted range includes an EPUB CFI outside the currently displayed screen, it is sufficient that one point within the currently displayed content is selected.

[0300] The display order of the comments 30 on the suggestion information modal screen 60 may be the order of the quoted passages identified by referring to the context of the EPUB CFI, or may be the order of the comments posted stored in the bulletin board data table (for example, in order of comment number).

[0301] <Example of message board processing> Next, the processes executed by the control unit 130 of the server 100 of the provision system 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 26 to 28. The various processes described with reference to Figures 26 to 28 are repeatedly executed by the control unit 130 in response to the server 100 receiving display request information from the user terminal 300 (for example, when a selection operation of a predetermined tab or icon has been performed, or when a synchronization request has been made).

[0302] (Example of electronic content information screen display process 2) An example of electronic content information screen display processing 2 executed by server 100 in this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0303] In step S601, processing is performed to display an electronic content information screen on the display unit of the user terminal 300. The electronic content information screen is a book details screen that is displayed on the user terminal 300 when a book is selected on, for example, a book search screen, a usage status screen, a My Page screen, or a home screen, as shown in Figs. 10 to 12, etc. In the first embodiment described above, Fig. 13 was used as an example of an electronic content information screen, but in the second embodiment, the electronic content information screen of Fig. 22(A) will be used as an example to which a bulletin board function for holding discussions with other users and a function for associating emotion labels with parts of books are further added. Details regarding emotion labels will be described later with reference to Fig. 33, etc.

[0304] 22(A) is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300 in step S601, and then it is determined in step S602 whether or not a usage operation unit has been selected. If it is determined in step S602 that a usage operation unit has been selected, then in step S603, a usage screen display process for the electronic content is executed, and the process ends. For example, when the usage operation icon R (read) displayed on the electronic content information screen for book A in FIG. 22(A) receives information that the selection operation has been performed on the user terminal 300, information for displaying a viewing screen for book A stored as content data 121 is transmitted to the user terminal 300. Note that step S603 corresponds to step S514, etc., in FIG. 20, etc., in the first embodiment described above.

[0305] Furthermore, in the electronic content information screen display process 2 of FIG. 26, an example is described in which a user has already been granted a usage right for the book. However, in the case of a book for which a usage right has not been granted (e.g., a book not associated with the user in the user data table of FIG. 6, a book for which the license has not been activated, etc.), as described above with reference to steps S501 to S509 of FIG. 20 in the first embodiment, the user data table stored as the user information 123 is updated and stored so that the usage right for the book is associated with the user, and a process for updating the first usage log stored as the first usage log data 124 is performed, after which the usage screen for the book can be displayed. Furthermore, for books for which a usage right has not been granted to the user, viewing of the talk screen is restricted. Note that, unlike the case in which users belonging to a group described in the first embodiment are allowed to use electronic content (electronic books), when the second embodiment is adopted in a BtoC electronic book store system in which individual users purchase electronic books and view books, the usage screen cannot be displayed unless a usage right has been granted by purchasing the book, etc.

[0306] If it is determined in step S602 that the operation unit in use has not been selected, it is determined in step S604 whether a request for displaying a marker list screen has been made. If it is determined in step S604 that a request for displaying a marker list screen has been made, in step S605, a marker list screen display process, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 35, is executed, and the process ends. For example, when the marker list display icon 24 in Fig. 22(A) is selected on the user terminal 300, a process is executed to display a list display screen of markers corresponding to emotion labels associated with a specific range in book A, as exemplified in Fig. 33, which will be described later.

[0307] If it is determined in step S604 that a request for displaying a marker list screen has not been made, then in step S606 it is determined whether a request for displaying a review list screen has been made. If it is determined in step S606 that a request for displaying a review list screen has been made, then in step S607 a review list screen display process is executed, and the process ends. For example, when the review list display icon 25 in Fig. 22(A) is selected on the user terminal 300, a process is executed to display on the user terminal 300 a list display screen of reviews posted for book A.

[0308] If it is determined in step S606 that a request for displaying a review list screen has not been made, then in step S608, it is determined whether a request for displaying a talk list screen has been made. If it is determined in step S608 that a request for displaying a talk list screen has been made, then in step S609, a talk list screen display process, which will be described later with reference to Figure 27, is executed, and the process ends. For example, when the talk list display icon 26 in Figure 22(A) is selected on the user terminal 300, a list of comments posted on the talk screen (bulletin board) about book A is displayed, as shown in Figure 22(B).

[0309] If it is determined in step S608 that a request for displaying the talk list screen has not been made, then in step S610, it is determined whether or not an operation has been made on the quoted portion. If it is determined in step S610 that an operation has been made on the quoted portion, then in step S611, a usage screen display process is executed to display the quoted portion of the electronic content, and the process ends. For example, suppose that a quote Q quoting the content of book A, "AIUEO...", is displayed in comment 30, which is part of a comment posted to the bulletin board of book A displayed in the talk section 23 of FIG. 22(A). When the user selects the quote Q, a process is executed to display a viewing screen for book A displaying "AIUEO..." as shown in FIG. 22(C) on the display unit of the user terminal 300. The comment is a post with post ID "1" associated with book ID "book1" in the bulletin board data table of FIG. 24. Post ID 1 stores an EPUB CFI corresponding to "aiueo..." in association with the "quote location information" that identifies the location within the content data (within Book A's EPUB format) of "aiueo...," which is the specific range quoted when the comment was posted, and stores the text information of the specific range quoted as "quote location text information." As a result, the text "aiueo..." is displayed in Quotation Q based on the "quote location text information," and the location of the corresponding specific range within Book A can be identified and transitioned to based on the "quote location information."

[0310] If it is determined in step S610 that no operation has been performed on the quoted passage, then in step S612 it is determined whether or not another operation has been performed. If it is determined in step S612 that another operation has been performed, then in step S613, processing according to the other operation is executed, and the processing ends. For example, this includes operations on the referral label 27 or the usage status setting icon ST, or processing for searching for other books or displaying the usage status screen of other members. If it is determined in step S612 that no other operation has been performed (for example, when an operation to close the app has been performed), then the processing ends.

[0311] (Example of chat list screen display process) Next, referring to Fig. 27, an example of a talk list screen display process executed by the server 100 in this embodiment will be described. The talk list screen display process is executed when the talk list display icon 26 in Fig. 22(A) is selected (YES in step S608 in Fig. 26), or when a predetermined operation (e.g., tapping or clicking on the user name or comment body of the comment 30) is performed to display other comments on the posting modal screen 50 in Fig. 23(C) or (D), or the suggestion information modal screen 60 in Fig. 25(B) or (D), and it is determined (received) that a talk list screen display request has been made from the user terminal 300. Note that the posting modal screen 50 on which a portion of a comment is displayed and the suggestion information modal screen 60 are also included in the talk screen on which a portion of a comment posted in the talk list screen is displayed.

[0312] In step S701, when it is determined that a talk list screen display request has been made from the user terminal 300, a process is executed to display the talk list screen on the display unit of the user terminal 300. The talk list screen is a screen that displays a list of comments associated with each book ID, as exemplified in the bulletin board data table of Fig. 24. For example, when a request is made to display the talk list screen for book A (book1), a list of comments associated with book1 in the bulletin board data table of Fig. 24 is displayed.

[0313] After the talk list screen is displayed in step S701, it is determined in step S702 whether or not a comment posting operation has been performed. If it is determined that a comment posting operation has been performed, a comment posting process is executed in step S703, and the process returns to step S701. As the comment posting process, the server 100 determines that a comment posting operation has been performed when, for example, text information entered in the comment input field 33 of FIG. 22(B) on the user terminal 300 is transmitted to the server 100 by operating the comment posting button 34. The server 100 also executes a process of updating and storing the received comment information in association with the bulletin board data table of FIG. 24.

[0314] If it is determined in step S702 that a comment posting operation has not been performed, it is determined in step S704 whether a reply comment posting operation has been performed. If it is determined in step S704 that a reply comment posting operation has been performed, a comment posting process is performed in step S703, and the process returns to step S701. For example, when the reply icon 35 of any comment 30 displayed on the chat list screen of FIG. 22(B) is selected, the server 100 executes a process for displaying on the user terminal 300 a screen displaying a comment input field 33 in which an anchor link to the comment to be replied to has been entered (the reply comment list screen of FIG. 22(D) may also be displayed). Furthermore, when a comment is posted with an anchor link entered in the comment input field 33, it is determined that a reply comment posting operation has been performed, and posting information of the reply comment is transmitted from the user terminal 300 to the server 100. The server 100 executes a process for associating the received comment posting information with the bulletin board data table of FIG. 24, updating it, and storing it.

[0315] If it is determined in step S704 that a reply comment posting operation has not been performed, then in step S705, it is determined whether or not an operation on the quoted passage has been performed. If it is determined in step S705 that an operation on the quoted passage has been performed, then in step S706, a process is executed to display a usage screen that displays the quoted passage in the electronic content, and the process ends. The processes in steps S705 and S706 are the same as those described in steps S610 and S611 of FIG. 26. For example, by selecting a quote Q displayed in any comment 30 on the talk list screen for book A, the usage screen for book A shown in FIG. 22(C) is displayed, displaying the text quoted in quote Q.

[0316] If it is determined in step S705 that no operation has been performed on the quoted passage, it is determined in step S708 whether or not the usage operation section has been selected. If it is determined in step S707 that the usage operation section has been selected, a usage screen display process for the electronic content is executed in step S708, and the process ends. The processes of steps S707 and S708 are processes for displaying a viewing screen for a book for which the user has been granted usage rights, similar to steps S602 and S603 in Figure 26.

[0317] If it is determined in step S707 that the operation unit to be used has not been selected (for example, an operation to close the app or return to the previous screen is included), it is determined in step S709 whether an operation to close the talk list screen has been performed. For example, if an operation to display the home screen or the electronic content information screen is performed (for example, an operation on a specific icon or an operation on the back button), the process of displaying the talk list screen is terminated.

[0318] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S709 that an operation to close the talk list screen has not been performed, the process returns to step S702 and the process is repeated.

[0319] 22(B) is selected on the user terminal 300, the server 100 performs processing to display the reply comment list screen of FIG. 22(D) on the user terminal 300. Also, even from the reply comment list screen, it is possible to post a reply comment to the comment 30 that is the parent comment of the reply comment list screen by operating the reply list icon 36 as explained in step S704. Also, if a comment 30 including a quote Q is displayed on the reply comment list screen, the same processing as in steps S705 and S706 is performed by selecting the quote Q.

[0320] The chat list screen display process described with reference to FIG. 27 can also be performed by operating icons with the same functions on the posting modal screen 50 of FIG. 23(C) and the suggestion information modal screen 60 of FIG. 25(B) and (D). For example, by operating the reply icon 35 of a comment 30 displayed on each modal screen, a reply list screen for that comment 30, such as that shown in FIG. 22(D), can be displayed on the user terminal 300, allowing the user to post a reply comment. Furthermore, by selecting a quote Q displayed in a comment 30 on each modal screen, a usage screen can be displayed in which the range quoted in the quote Q is displayed and the range is highlighted, as shown in FIG. 22(C).

[0321] (Example of usage screen display process) Next, an example of a usage screen display process executed by the server 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 28. The usage screen display process is executed in response to the server 100 receiving a usage screen display request (a request to display a book viewing screen) from the user terminal 300, which is generated by, for example, an operation on a usage screen tool such as Book Reader TB5 exemplified in the display screen example of the first embodiment, or by selecting a usage operation icon R (read) displayed on My Page in Fig. 12(B) or the electronic content information screen in Fig. 13 or Fig. 22(A).

[0322] In step S801, in response to receiving a usage screen display request from the user terminal 300, processing is performed to display the usage screen on the display unit of the user terminal 300 (alternatively, processing may be performed to display the usage screen on the user terminal 300 based on an EPUB file or the like that has already been received from the server 100 and stored in the memory unit 320 of the user terminal 300).

[0323] In step S801, processing for displaying the usage screen is performed, and in step S802, it is determined whether or not a specific range has been specified. For example, as shown in Fig. 23(A), when an operation for selecting a partial range of an element such as text in a book (for example, a selection operation using a mouse or a touch-and-slide operation) is performed on the user terminal 300, it is determined in step S802 that a specific range has been specified, and processing for displaying tool icons is executed in step S803. For example, a toolbar 40 displaying various tool icons as shown in Fig. 23(B) is displayed superimposed on the usage screen.

[0324] When the tool icon is displayed in step S803, it is determined in step S804 whether a highlighting operation has been performed. If it is determined in step S804 that a highlighting operation has been performed, a highlighting process is performed on the specific range in step S805. For example, it is determined that a highlighting operation has been performed when one of marker icons T1 to T3 is selected and operated by the user, and information specifying the specific range specified in step S802 and information specifying an emotion label corresponding to the type of marker icon operated are updated and stored in association with a marker data table (described later with reference to FIG. 34) and data related to content for each user.

[0325] If it is determined in step S804 that no highlighting operation has been performed, or after the specific range has been highlighted in step S805, it is determined in step S806 whether a link creation operation for the specific range has been performed. For example, if the link creation icon T4 in the toolbar 40 is selected, in step S807, processing is performed to enable the storage unit 320 of the user terminal 300 to store the link for the specific range specified in step S802 (such as processing to copy the EPUB CFI and text information that specify the specific range to the clipboard).

[0326] If it is determined in step S806 that no link generation operation for the specific range has been performed, or after the process of generating a link for the specific range and storing it in the user terminal 300 in step S807, it is determined in step S808 whether or not an operation has been performed on the talk icon. For example, if a selection operation has been performed on the talk icon T5 displayed on the toolbar 40, and it is determined in step S808 that an operation on the talk icon has been performed, a quote comment posting screen is displayed in step S809. The quote comment posting screen is a screen that allows the user to post a comment quoting the specific range specified in step S802. For example, the posting modal screen 50 illustrated in FIG. 23(C) is displayed so as to be superimposed on the usage screen.

[0327] When the quoted comment posting screen is displayed in step S809, a determination is made in step S810 as to whether a highlighting operation has been performed. For example, marker buttons MB1 to MB3 in FIG. 23(C) are marker icons of types corresponding to first to third emotion labels, respectively. Operations on marker buttons MB1 to MB3 produce the same effect as markers T1 to T3 displayed on toolbar 40. When any of marker buttons MB1 to MB3 is selected and operated, a determination is made in step S810 that a highlighting operation has been performed, and a specific range is highlighted in step S811. That is, a process is performed in which information specifying the emotion label corresponding to any of the operated marker buttons MB1 to MB3 and information specifying the specific range in step S802 are associated with data related to content for each user and the marker data table, and the information is updated and stored.

[0328] If it is determined in step S810 that a highlighting operation has not been performed, or after the specific range has been highlighted in step S811, it is determined in step S812 whether a quoted comment posting operation has been performed. For example, on the posting modal screen 50 of Fig. 23(C), when a comment is entered in the comment input field 33 and the comment posting button 34 is operated, it is determined that a comment posting operation has been performed quoting "aiueo..." (the specific range in step S802) displayed in the upper area of ​​the modal of Fig. 23(C) selected in Fig. 23(A).

[0329] If it is determined in step S812 that a quote comment posting operation has been performed, comment posting processing is executed in step S814. The comment posting processing when a quote comment posting operation has been performed includes the same processing as step S703 in FIG. 27, in which the text information entered in the comment input field 33 is sent to the server 100, as well as sending to the server 100 character information of a specific range and location information for identifying the location of the specific range within the content. For example, when a comment quoting "aiueo..." from book A is posted in FIG. 23(C), the server 100 updates and stores the specified character information of "aiueo..." and the EPUB CFI of "aiueo..." specified as location information in book A (book1) in the bulletin board data table in FIG. 24, in association with each other. As a result, a comment 30 including quote Q in which the quoted portion "aiueo..." is displayed is displayed on the talk screen of book A, as illustrated in FIG. 22(B). After the quoted comment is posted, a message indicating that posting has been completed is displayed on the posting modal screen 50, as shown in FIG. 23(D).

[0330] If it is determined in step S812 that a quote comment posting operation has not been performed, it is determined in step S813 whether a reply comment posting operation has been performed. A reply comment posting operation, similar to step S704 in FIG. 27, refers to sending to the server 100 comment posting information in which an anchor link for the comment 30 to be replied to is entered, based on an operation on the reply icon 35 or reply list icon 36 for each comment 30 (in this case, the comment 30 displayed on the posting modal screen 50 in FIG. 23(C)). In addition, in step S813, the comments 30 that can be replied to are the comments 30 displayed on the posting modal screen 50. The comments 30 displayed on this posting modal screen 50 include comments 30 for which a range overlapping with the specified range in step S802 has been specified as a quote range. Note that in FIG. 27, the reply comment list screen in FIG. 22(D) is illustrated as an example of a screen on which a user posts a reply comment. However, when posting a reply comment on the posting modal screen 50, an anchor link to the comment 30 to be replied to may be entered in the comment input field 33 of the posting modal screen 50 by selecting the reply icon 35 or reply list icon 36 on the posting modal screen 50, without having to completely transition to the reply comment list screen of Fig. 22(D), or a list of reply comments may be displayed in the area below the comment 30 to be replied to. Note that the usage screen display process of Fig. 28 will be described as an example in which a reply comment can be posted by displaying a list of reply comments on the posting modal screen 50 or by displaying the comment input field 33 with an anchor link entered.

[0331] If it is determined in step S813 that a reply comment has been posted, a comment posting process is executed in step S814, and the information of the comment is associated with and updated in the bulletin board data table and stored. Note that after the reply comment has been posted, a comment posting completion screen similar to that shown in FIG. 23(D) may be displayed on the posting modal screen 50.

[0332] After the comment posting process is performed in step S814, or if no comment posting operation is performed in steps S812 and S813, it is determined in step S815 whether a talk list screen transition operation has been performed. The talk list screen transition operation refers to performing a predetermined operation on the posting modal screen 50 to transition to the bulletin board of FIG. 22(B) (e.g., an operation on the text of the talk, an operation on the comment 30 (e.g., tapping or clicking on the username or comment body), an operation on a predetermined icon (e.g., displayed with the text "See more"), etc.). If it is determined in step S815 that a talk list screen transition operation has been performed, in step S816, the talk list screen display process described with reference to FIG. 27 is executed, and the process ends. For example, by performing an operation on the username, etc. of the comment 30, etc. displayed on the posting modal screen 50 on the usage screen of book A in FIG. 23(C), the display screen transitions to the talk list screen of book A in FIG. 22(B).

[0333] If it is determined in step S815 that an operation to move to the talk list screen has not been performed, then in step S817, it is determined whether an operation to close the post modal screen 50 has been performed. If it is determined in step S817 that a close operation has been performed, then the process returns to step S802, in which the usage screen is displayed. For example, by selecting the close icon 52, the post modal screen 50 is closed, and the user can resume browsing the book. On the other hand, if it is determined that a close operation has not been performed, then the process returns to step S810, and the process is repeated.

[0334] Returning to step S808, if it is determined that the talk icon operation has not been performed, it is determined in step S818 whether or not an operation to end the tool icon display has been performed. If it is determined in step S818 that an end operation has been performed, the process returns to step S804 and repeats. For example, if an operation is performed on an area other than the toolbar 40 in Fig. 23(B) on the usage screen (for example, clicking on an area outside the toolbar 40), it is determined that an end operation has been performed, the toolbar 40 is hidden, and the screen returns to the book viewing screen.

[0335] When it is determined in step S818 that a termination operation has been performed, or when it is not determined in step S802 that a specific range designation operation has been performed, it is determined in step S819 whether or not a suggestion information selection operation has been performed. For example, it is determined that a suggestion information selection operation has been performed when display information such as an icon that suggests the presence or absence of a comment quoting a sentence or the like displayed on the currently displayed usage screen, such as the suggestion icon S in Fig. 25(A), is selected.

[0336] If it is determined in step S819 that a suggestion information selection operation has been performed, processing is executed in step S820 to display a list of comments based on the suggestion information corresponding to the displayed usage screen on the display unit of the user terminal 300. For example, when a user operates the suggestion icon S on the usage screen of FIG. 25(A), a suggestion information modal screen 60 is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300, displaying a list of comments citing the contents of Book A currently displayed on the usage screen of FIG. 25(A) (e.g., the displayed text). Note that even if the citation range is not entirely contained on the currently displayed usage screen, if there is some overlap, the suggestion information will be included in the suggested comment. In the case of FIG. 25(A), the position identification information (EPUB CFI) of each character, such as "01" in the upper right corner to "...." in the lower left corner, is referenced, and the citation location information (EPUB CFI) of the posted comments associated with Book A in the bulletin board data table is referenced, and the number of comments containing matching citation location information is counted. In the case of Figure 25(A), five quoted comments have been counted, so five is displayed in the suggestion icon S. Furthermore, when the suggestion icon S displaying the number of quoted comments, which is five, is selected, five comments 30 containing the quote Q are displayed on the suggestion information modal screen 60.

[0337] Next, in step S821, it is determined whether a reply comment posting operation has been performed. If it is determined that a reply comment posting operation has been performed, in step S822, a comment posting process is executed. The processes of steps S821 and S822, like steps S813 and S814, are processes of associating information about a reply comment posted in response to one of the comments 30 based on an operation on the reply icon 35 or the reply list icon 36 with the message board data table, updating the information, and storing the information. Note that the usage screen display process in FIG. 28 will be described as an example in which a reply comment can be posted by displaying a list of reply comments on the suggestion information modal screen 60 or by displaying the comment input field 33 with an anchor link entered, similar to the reply comment on the posting modal screen in step S813, etc.

[0338] If it is determined in step S821 that a reply comment posting operation has not been performed, or after the comment posting process has been performed in step S822, it is determined in step S823 whether a talk list screen transition operation has been performed. If it is determined that a talk list screen transition operation has been performed, in step S816, the talk list screen display process described in Figure 27 is executed, and the process ends. For example, similar to step S815, a transition to the talk list screen of Figure 22(B) is made by operating a predetermined icon on the suggestion information modal screen 60 or a comment 30.

[0339] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S823 that no operation to move to the talk list screen has been performed, it is determined in step S824 whether or not an operation to close the suggestion information modal screen has been performed. For example, if the close button 62 has been selected, the suggestion information modal screen 60 is closed, and the process proceeds to step S825.

[0340] If it is determined in step S819 that no suggestive information selection operation has been performed, or if it is determined in step S824 that an operation to close the suggestive information modal screen has been performed, then it is determined in step S825 whether or not an operation to close the screen in use has been performed. For example, if an operation to close the book reader (viewer) app or an operation to close the book content display screen and return to the home screen is performed, then it is determined that an operation to close the screen in use has been performed, and the process ends. On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S825 that an operation to close the screen in use has been performed, the process returns to step S802, the book viewing state continues, and the process is repeated.

[0341] In the usage screen display process of Figure 28, an example has been described in which, by operating the reply icon 35 or reply list icon 36 in step S813 or step S821, a list of reply comments is displayed on each modal screen, or a comment input field 33 with an anchor link entered is displayed, thereby allowing a reply comment to be posted. However, this is not limited to this. When the reply icon 35 or reply list icon 36 is operated, it may be determined that an operation to transition to the talk list screen has been performed in steps S815 and S823, and the usage screen may be transitioned to the talk screen of the reply comment list screen in Figure 22 (D).

[0342] <Other examples of bulletin board screens> Next, examples of screens and the like relating to other functions relating to the bulletin board described with reference to FIGS. 22 to 28 above will be described with reference to FIGS. 29 to 32. FIG.

[0343] (Example of display restrictions on a user device for which usage rights have not been granted) As described above, in this embodiment, a bulletin board (talk screen) is provided for each piece of electronic content (each book). Figure 29 shows an example of the display mode of a talk screen displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300 of a user (hereinafter also referred to as a user without usage rights) when the user attempts to display a talk screen for electronic content for which the user does not have a usage right (a book for which the user does not have a usage right associated in the user data table of Figure 6, or a book that has not been purchased). In this embodiment, even a user without usage rights can access the talk screen for each book (it is possible to display the talk list screen of Figure 22(B)), but the displayed content is limited.

[0344] As an example of a restricted display mode, as shown in Figure 29(A), the content of the comment body of each comment 30 can be displayed, but the quote Q can be hidden by displaying a message such as "The quoted portion can be viewed after license activation." Alternatively, as shown in Figure 29(B), some of the comments 30 on the talk screen (for example, the first comment 30 posted through the third comment 30) can be displayed regardless of whether they contain quote Q, and comments 30 other than the portion that can be displayed can be hidden by displaying a message such as "Subsequent comments can be displayed after license activation."

[0345] Also, as shown in Figure 29(C), a portion of the quotation Q (for example, if a sentence text is quoted, up to the first 10 characters) can be displayed, but the rest of the quotation may be hidden with a message such as "The rest of the quotation can be viewed after activating the license."

[0346] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 29(D), when a user who has not purchased the book operates Quote Q, a portion of the text before and after the quoted passage may be displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 29(D), text including the text before and after the passage quoted in Quote Q may be superimposed on the chat screen. The portion of the text before and after may be, for example, several dozen characters. The user may be transitioned to a usage screen for the book, allowing the quoted range and some of the text before and after to be viewed. Furthermore, when displaying some of the text before and after the quoted passage in this manner, the number of times that Quote Q for each book can be selected may be limited for each user. For example, when user u1 selects Quote Q for a book for which user u1 does not have a usage right, the number of times the text before and after Quote Q can be displayed may be limited to five. When the user operates Quote Q a sixth time, a message may be displayed indicating that the text can be viewed after license activation (purchase), and the user may be transitioned to a purchase screen. This prevents users without usage rights from excessively viewing the contents of the book. As described above, by restricting the display of book contents as described in Figure 29, users who do not have usage rights can be prompted to obtain usage rights (for example, by activating a license or performing a purchase operation).

[0347] (Screen transition example when quoting multiple locations) Next, with reference to FIG. 30, an example of screen transitions when posting a comment specifying multiple ranges as a specific range for quoting will be described. In the example screen for posting a quote described above with reference to FIG. 23, an example was described in which a series of ranges was selected as a quote range and a comment was posted. However, it is also possible to quote multiple different ranges within a book and post them in a single comment. FIG. 30(A) shows a posting modal screen 50 that is superimposed on the usage screen that is displayed when a specific range is selected. When the comment input field 33 is operated on the posting modal screen 50, a posting screen is displayed that quotes the range selected by the user (the range selected by the user in FIG. 23(A)), as shown in FIG. 30(B). When the comment posting button 34 is selected, it is determined in step S812 of FIG. 28 that a quote comment posting operation has been performed, and the comment posting process is executed in step S814.

[0348] On the other hand, if the user selects the Add Quote button 37 instead of the Post Comment button 34, the posting modal screen 50 closes so that the user can select the next quotation range, and the user can select the range again on the Usage Screen, as shown in FIG. 30(C). It is also possible to select text or the like that appears in a range different from the range of the Usage Screen displayed in FIG. 30(A) (a different page on the user screen). For example, while the quotation in FIG. 30(A) begins with Chapter 1 of a book, the additional quotation range may begin with Chapter 3. The additional quotation range may also overlap with the range originally selected (for example, the last five characters of the initial quotation range may overlap with the first five characters of the added quotation range).

[0349] When the next quotation range is selected as shown in Figure 30(C), the quote addition bar 38 is displayed superimposed on the usage screen as shown in Figure 30(D). When the quote addition bar 38 is selected, the posting modal screen 50 is displayed again as shown in Figure 30(E). On the other hand, when a selection is made outside the quote addition bar 38 on the usage screen, the quote addition bar 38 is hidden, and the quotation range can be selected again.

[0350] The posting modal screen 50, which is displayed by selecting the quote add bar 38, displays the quote "A I U E O..." and comment text that were displayed in Figure 30(B), as well as the comment input field 33 with the additional quote range "Tachi Tsu Tet..." selected as the quote range. To reselect the quote range to add, select the close button 52 to return to the usage screen in Figure 30(C), where you can reselect the additional quote range. Alternatively, selecting the delete quote button 39 displayed for each quote range will delete the quote range for which the delete quote button 39 was operated, and the comment text that was entered for that quote range.

[0351] If you want to add more quoted comments after entering a comment for the quoted range added in Figure 30(E), select Add Quote button 37 again, and the process of enabling the operations shown in Figures 30(C) to 30(E) will be repeated. If you select Post Comment button 34 on the screen of Figure 30(E), a comment posting completion screen will be displayed, as shown in Figure 30(F), in which multiple quotations Q and comments for each quotation Q have been posted.

[0352] In addition, in steps S812 to S814 of FIG. 28 described with reference to the posting modal screen 50 of FIGS. 23(C) and (D) above, the screen transition processing of FIGS. 30(A) to 30(E) can be executed.

[0353] (Screen example when citing other electronic content) Next, with reference to Fig. 31, an example in which a bulletin board is provided for each electronic content has been described in this embodiment, but an example in which it is possible to post comments quoting other electronic content different from the target electronic content will be described. Fig. 31(A) is an example of a screen in which the toolbar 40 that is displayed when the user selects a specific range of a book is displayed (corresponding to step S803 in Fig. 28), similar to Fig. 23(B). At this time, as the link generation icon T4 is selected on the user terminal 300, the user terminal 300 acquires (stores) information for identifying the selected specific range (corresponding to steps S806 to S807 in Fig. 28). The information for identifying the specific range is, for example, the EPUB CFI, which is position information of the specific range, and text information of the selected range.

[0354] FIG. 31(B) is an example of a talk screen for a book (Book B) different from the book (Book A) on the usage screen of FIG. 31(A). After acquiring a specific range of information (link) about Book A by operating the link generation icon T4, the user can paste the information acquired in FIG. 31(A) into the comment input field 33 by performing a paste operation in the comment input field 33 on the talk screen of FIG. 31(B). The pasted link may be, for example, a URL. Furthermore, in addition to information that identifies the EPUB CFI and text information, the link information may also be associated with information on the display format after posting (e.g., displaying the comment together with a specified image, or displaying the quote Q3 together with text such as "This is a quote from Book A"). When a comment is posted after pasting the link, the comment is associated with Book B in the bulletin board data table as a bulletin board comment about Book B (corresponding to steps S702 to S703 in FIG. 27). As a result, as shown in FIG. 31(C), a comment 30 displaying citation Q3 that cites Book A will be displayed, such as comment 30 numbered 20 shown at the bottom of the talk screen for Book B after posting. Note that on the display unit of a user terminal 300 of a user who is not associated with the usage rights for Book A, processing may be performed to hide citation Q3 of comment 30 numbered 20 that cites Book A, as shown in FIG. 31(D). For example, as shown in FIGS. 29(A) and (C), all or part of citation Q3 may be hidden, and a message such as "The quoted portion can be viewed after activating the license for Book A" may be displayed.

[0355] Even on a bulletin board for the same book, a quoted comment may be posted by pasting a link obtained using the link generation icon T4 into the comment input field 33 on the talk list screen of FIG. 22(B) or the reply comment list screen of FIG. 22(D). For example, on the usage screen for book A, a link may be obtained for a selected range using the link generation icon T4, and the obtained link may be pasted into the comment input field 33 on the talk list screen for book A. After the comment posting process, a quote Q may be displayed in the posted comment on the talk screen. Also, when posting a review, the link obtained using the link generation icon T4 may be pasted so that the quote Q is displayed in the review. Even if a link is entered in the review posting field, a review that quotes the book's contents may not be posted. For example, even if a review is posted, display restrictions may be placed so that the quote Q and URL are hidden. Even if a link is entered, an error message such as "Quotes are not allowed in reviews" may be displayed, preventing the review entry from being posted.

[0356] (User group chat room screen example) Next, with reference to FIG. 32, an example will be described in which a user creates an arbitrary user group and creates a chat room (bulletin board) for each user group. The group referred to here is different from any group (such as a company) that a user must belong to in order to use electronic content, as described in the first embodiment. It is a user group that can be further subdivided within the same group (for example, by group ID in FIG. 5) and can be created by a user at will. A user group chat room is a chat room that can be accessed only by members of the created user group. For example, a group of two or more people can be a group of several dozen people, and the user can create a group of any number of people. For example, in an offline setting, it is a group that can be formed by a user, gathering any number of members, such as a book club.

[0357] FIG. 32 shows an example of a screen related to user group chat rooms displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300. Various screens can be accessed from, for example, the home screen or My Page. FIG. 32(A) shows an example of a screen displaying a list of user group chat rooms in which the user is participating. For example, the most recent comments are displayed in chronological order. Various screens can be accessed from, for example, the home screen or My Page. FIG. 32(B) shows an example of a list of user groups in which the user is participating. Selecting one of the groups displays a list of chat rooms created within each user group, as shown in FIG. 32(C). In this way, multiple chat rooms can be created in each user group according to a theme (such as associated books).

[0358] FIG. 32(D) is an example screen displaying a list of talk rooms for each electronic content. In this embodiment, when creating a talk room for each user group, it is possible to select and associate a book as a theme, as shown in FIG. 32(E). It is possible to create talk rooms by selecting multiple books, not just one book. For example, if multiple users participate in talk rooms associated with book A, the names of each user group (or the names of the talk rooms) are displayed on the list screen of talk rooms for each electronic content in FIG. 32(D). Furthermore, if there are books whose contents can be quoted in comments and books whose contents cannot be quoted, the screen may display whether or not the book can be quoted.

[0359] A user group may be created, for example, by selecting the IDs (or may be identified by user names) of users to be invited to the user group from a group creation screen or the like (not shown), and an invitation notification or the like is sent to the selected users, thereby enabling the invited users to participate in the created user group. Alternatively, an invitation link (URL or the like) to the user group may be made available to users, and the acquired invitation link may be sent to the users to be invited via email, a message tool, or the like, and the received users may access the invitation link, thereby enabling them to participate.

[0360] 32(E), a user group talk room may be created by selecting a book as a theme and a user group. As a result, the storage unit 120 of the server 100 stores information about the talk room, which is associated with the book ID and the ID of the user group created by the user.

[0361] FIG. 32(F) is an example of a chat screen display for a user group chat room. The chat screen for each user group chat room is displayed when a group chat room is selected from the list of group chat rooms shown in FIGS. 32(A) to 32(D). FIG. 32(F) shows a chat room for a user group associated with book A. In a user group chat room, as shown in the chat screen shown in FIG. 22(B), a comment citing a specific section of a book can also be displayed. A quoted comment can be posted to any user group chat room by allowing the user to select the destination of the comment on the posting modal screen shown in FIG. 23(C). Furthermore, a book usage operation icon R for the associated book can be displayed on the group chat room list screen for each book shown in FIG. 32(D) or the talk screen shown in FIG. 32(F), allowing the user to easily transition to the book usage screen and post a quoted comment. If each posted comment (message) quotes a specific section of a book, a quote Q is displayed, as shown in Figure 22(B), etc. Therefore, similar to step S705 of the chat room list screen processing illustrated in Figure 27, when a quote Q is selected, a usage screen (such as Figure 22(C)) displaying the quoted section can be displayed.

[0362] In addition, an icon R for using the associated book may be displayed on the group chat room list screen for each book shown in Fig. 32(D) or on the chat screen shown in Fig. 32(F), allowing for easy transition to the book usage screen and facilitating the posting of a quote comment. The format is not limited to a bulletin board format, and may be a chat format as shown in Fig. 32(F), and processing can be performed by applying the chat room list screen processing shown in Fig. 27 (for example, the operation of posting a reply comment includes adding a mention to the comment to be replied to).

[0363] Furthermore, as described with reference to FIG. 31, a link to a specific range obtained by operating the link generation icon T4 may be pasted into a comment and posted. In this case, even if the quotation is from a book not associated with the chat room, quotations Q, which are the quotations from other books, may be displayed. Furthermore, on the display unit of a user terminal of a user who is not associated with the usage rights for other books because they have not yet purchased them, the display of quotations Q3 may be restricted, as illustrated in FIG. 29, etc. The e-book viewer provided by the provision system 1 and the user group chat room may be realized by different apps (native apps that can be downloaded to smartphones, etc.) that can access both.

[0364] <Emotion labels corresponding to markers> Next, with reference to Figures 33 to 35, emotion labels corresponding to markers associated with specific ranges in electronic content in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, as described above, a marker can be associated with (or "highlighted") a specific range in a book. For example, by selecting marker icons T1 to T3, etc. displayed on the toolbar 40 in Figure 23(B) or marker buttons MB1 to MB3, etc. displayed on the posting modal screen 50 in Figure 23(C), a marker can be associated with the specific range selected by the user on the usage screen in Figure 23(A) (corresponding to steps S804 to S805, steps S810 to S811, etc. in Figure 28).

[0365] The markers are provided with multiple types of markers (emotion labels) defined according to human emotions (definitions of thoughts, etc.). The definition of emotions associated with the markers can be, for example, impressions that a user may have when reading a book. For example, in this embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 23, three types of markers are defined as markers that can be associated within a book. The first marker corresponds to marker icon T1, and the icon mark is a thumbs-up mark and is blue. For example, the user can associate (highlight) the first marker with a range in which the user has a favorable impression, such as "like." This allows the user to highlight a blue marker in a range selected by the user. The second marker corresponds to marker icon T2, and the icon mark is a heart mark and is red. For example, the user can associate (highlight) the second marker with a range in which the user has an emotion, such as "I was moved!". The third marker corresponds to marker icon T3, and the icon mark is a light bulb mark and is yellow. For example, the user can arbitrarily associate (draw) a third marker with a specific range in which he or she feels emotions such as "I had an idea! I made a discovery!".

[0366] (Example of marker list screen display) Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to display a list of markers associated with each book, including emotion labels associated by others as well as emotion labels associated with a specific range by the user himself / herself, on a screen other than the usage screen, as shown in FIG. 33(A). For example, FIG. 33(A) is a screen displaying a list of markers associated with book A. The marker list screen of FIG. 33(A) is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300 by, for example, selecting the marker list display icon 24 on the electronic content information screen of FIG. 22(A). Note that, the marker list screen of FIG. 33(A) for the book for which the usage screen was displayed may be displayed by performing a predetermined operation (for example, selecting the marker text) on the posting modal screen 50 of FIG. 23(C).

[0367] With reference to the marker list screen of FIG. 33(A), an example will be described in which a portion of the electronic content information screen illustrated in FIG. 22(A) is switched to display a marker list. For example, the title and cover image of the target book, a usage operation icon R, and the like are displayed in the upper area, and the marker list is displayed in the area below the usage status setting icon ST. The marker list displays, for each type of marker, a marker range MQ indicating the range to which the markers of the book are associated, a count of the number of users who have associated markers with that range, a marker range search window 71, a marker filter 72, and marker tabs MTB1 to MTB3 for changing the type of marker displayed in the list. Note that the switching of a portion of the electronic content information screen to display the marker list is not limited to a switching of a portion of the electronic content information screen to display the marker list, and the screen may transition to a marker list screen such as the talk list screen illustrated in FIG. 22(B).

[0368] FIG. 33(A) displays a list of ranges associated with first emotion labels corresponding to markers of the thumbs-up icon corresponding to the marker icon T1 in FIG. 23(B) or the marker button MB1 in FIG. 23(C). The type of emotion label to be displayed can be switched by selecting a predetermined switching tool such as a tab. In this embodiment, the list of first emotion labels can be switched by selecting the marker tab MTB1, the list of second emotion labels can be switched by selecting the marker tab MTB2, and the list of third emotion labels can be switched by selecting the marker tab MTB3. Each of the marker tabs MTB1 to MTB3 also displays the total number of markers associated with the book. For example, Figure 33(A) shows that for book A, a total of 135 people have associated a marker corresponding to the first emotion label, a total of 360 people have associated a marker corresponding to the second emotion label, and a total of 15 people have associated a marker corresponding to the third emotion label.

[0369] Furthermore, by selecting the marker range MQ, the user can transition to the book viewing screen where the marker range MQ is displayed, similar to the operation on the citation Q described with reference to Figure 22. This allows the user to immediately check the specific range associated with the emotion label on the usage screen.

[0370] Furthermore, marker buttons MB1 to MB3 are displayed corresponding to each marker range MQ. Similar to the marker buttons MB1 to MB3 displayed on the posting modal screen 50 of FIG. 23(C), the number of markers associated with each marker range and corresponding icon mark images are also displayed for the marker buttons MB1 to MB3 of FIG. 33(A). By selecting one of the marker buttons MB1 to MB3 of FIG. 33(A), the same marker is associated with the range corresponding to the marker range MQ in the book of the user who performed the selection. For example, when the marker button MB1 displayed together with "A, I, U, E, O..." of book A displayed in the first marker range MQ of FIG. 33(A) is selected, the display mode of the marker button MB1, which was previously displayed in gray, changes to a blue icon image, as shown in FIG. 33(B), allowing the user to recognize that a marker has been associated.

[0371] When a user operates the marker button MB, information about the users who have associated the corresponding marker for the marker range corresponding to the marker button MB is recorded in a marker data table, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 34, for example. Therefore, the number of users who have associated the "AIUEO..." marker is counted as increasing by one, so the number displayed as 30 in Fig. 33(A) changes to 31 in Fig. 33(B) (see dotted line). In addition, the number of associated markers for the book itself is counted as increasing by one, so the number displayed as 135 in Fig. 33(A) changes to 136 in Fig. 33(B) (see dotted line).

[0372] Furthermore, when the marker button MB is selected, the content information data related to the user who performed the operation is updated by associating the type of the corresponding marker and information specifying the position of the marker range MQ. As a result, even if the first emotion label is not associated with the "aiueo..." range on the user's book A usage screen as shown in FIG. 33(C), after the marker list screen display mode of FIG. 33(B) is achieved, the next time the user opens the book A usage screen, the "aiueo..." portion can be highlighted with a marker MH as shown in FIG. 33(D). The marker MH is, for example, a blue highlight color. In this way, it is possible to associate a marker with a portion of interest from the marker list screen without opening the usage screen.

[0373] Furthermore, similar to the example of citation Q described with reference to Figure 29, on the display unit of a user terminal 300 of a user who is not associated with the usage rights of a book (a user without usage rights), it is possible to display a marker list screen, but to process the contents of the marker range MQ to be hidden, as in Figure 29(A), or, as in Figure 29(B), the first few items on the list screen (for example, up to three marker ranges MQ) may be viewable on the user terminal 300 of a user without usage rights, or, as in Figure 29(C), it is possible to display up to a specified range (for example, the first five characters) displayed within the marker range MQ, but hide anything outside the specified range (for example, from the sixth character onwards).

[0374] Furthermore, on the marker list screen, similar to the talk list screen described with reference to Fig. 22(B), it is possible to search for any character string within the text information of the marker range MQ displayed on the marker list screen by inputting any character into the marker range search window 71. Furthermore, by operating the marker filter 72, it is possible to sort the marker range MQ displayed on the marker list screen in any order (for example, according to the display order in the e-book based on the EPUB CFI corresponding to the marker range MQ).

[0375] Note that the marker column 21 on the electronic content information screen shown in Figure 22(A) does not display an example of the marker range MQ, but as with the citation Q, a portion of the marker range MQ associated with the book (for example, a range of 1 to 3 displayed randomly, or the range with the largest number of associated users, etc.) may be displayed.

[0376] (Marker data table example) Next, an example of a marker data table stored as marker data in the storage unit 120 of the server 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 34. The marker data table associates "book IDs," "labels" corresponding to emotion labels associated with each book ID, information specifying the specific ranges associated with markers for each type of emotion label, and aggregate information on the number of people associated with markers for each specific range. In this example, the label "Like" associated with each book corresponds to the first emotion label (marker button MB1, etc.), "Moved" corresponds to the second emotion label (marker button MB2, etc.), and "Discovered" corresponds to the third emotion label (marker button MB3, etc.).

[0377] The information specifying the range associated with each label marker includes "marker location text information," which is information about the text in the marked range, and "marker location position information," which is information specifying the position within the content to which the marker is associated. The marker location position information can be specified by associating an EPUB CFI, which identifies an arbitrary position within the content, in the same way as specifying the position of a quoted range within a book described above in FIG. 24. The aggregate information includes "individual," which is individual aggregate information for each range associated with a marker, and "total," which is the total number of times each type of label is associated with each book.

[0378] For example, the marker data table associates the marker location text information "Aiu..." associated with the label "Like" corresponding to the first emotion label for the book ID "book1" corresponding to book A, the EPUB CFI "#epubcfi..." for the marker location information, the number of people who have associated a marker corresponding to the first emotion label in the range of the marker location is 30, and the total number of first emotion labels associated with book1 is 135. As a result, 135 is displayed in the display area corresponding to the first emotion label in the marker tab MTB1 on the marker list screen in Fig. 33 and in the marker column 21 on the digital content information screen in Fig. 22(A), the text information "Aiu..." is displayed in the marker range MQ, and the number of people associated, 30, is displayed corresponding to the marker range MQ. Furthermore, by selecting the marker range MQ displaying "Aiu...", the position of "Aiu..." in book A can be identified using the EPUB CFI of the marker location information, and a usage screen displaying "Aiu..." can be displayed, as shown in Figure 22(C).

[0379] A user can associate a marker with a new range even if it is not a range to which another user has already associated an emotion label. For example, as shown in FIG. 23(A), a user can select a specific range within content and operate the marker icons T1 to T3 in FIG. 23(B) or the marker buttons MB1 to MB3 on the posting modal screen 50 in FIG. 23(C) to associate a new marker range in the marker data table. For example, if a user selects the specific range "Standing..." in book A to which no other user has associated a marker and selects marker button MB2, the label "Emotional" for book1 in the marker data table is updated by associating the text of "Standing..." and the EPUB CFI of "Standing..." as the marker location text information. As a result, the marker range MQ displaying "Standing..." is displayed together with the marker button MB2 on the marker list screen in FIG. 33(A), allowing other users to confirm that the range is associated with a second emotion label.

[0380] (Example of marker list screen display processing) Next, a marker list screen display process executed by the control unit 130 of the server 100 of the provision system 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 35. The various processes described with reference to Fig. 35 are repeatedly executed by the control unit 130 in response to the server 100 receiving, from the user terminal 300, request information for displaying a marker list screen.

[0381] In step S901, a marker list screen is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300. For example, when a selection operation is performed on the marker list display icon 24 on the electronic content information screen of Fig. 22(A), the marker list screen of Fig. 33(A) is displayed.

[0382] In step S902, it is determined whether an operation has been performed on the emotion label icon for the marked specific range. If it is determined that an operation has been performed on the emotion label icon, in step S903, a process is performed to add the same marker to the same location in the electronic content of the user who performed the operation, and the process returns to step S902. For example, when a selection operation is performed on marker button MB1 (corresponding to the first emotion label) displayed along with the marker range MQ displaying "A i u . . . " on the marker list screen for book A in FIG. 33(A), a marker corresponding to the first emotion label is associated with the same range "A i u . . . " as the marker range MQ of the electronic content of book A of the user who performed the operation, and user information (such as content data of each user) is updated. In addition, the number of users who have associated markers corresponding to "Like" that are individually associated with "A i u . . . " stored in the marker data table stored in the storage unit 120 of the server 100 is updated, and the total number of "Like" markers associated with book1 is updated and stored. On the display unit of the user terminal 300, the marker list screen will show an increment of 1 for the individual number corresponding to the operated marker range MQ, and the corresponding marker tab MTB1, etc. will also show an increment of 1, as shown in Figure 33(B). After the process, when the portion of the book where the marker range MQ exists is displayed on the usage screen of the user terminal 300 of the user, a marker MH will be displayed for the operated range, as shown in Figure 33(D).

[0383] If it is determined in step S902 that no operation has been performed on the emotion label icon for the highlighted specific range, then in step S904 it is determined whether or not an emotion label tab has been operated. If it is determined that an emotion label tab has been operated, then in step S905 the screen switches to a marker list screen corresponding to the selected emotion label, and the process returns to step S902. For example, selecting the marker tab MTB3 in Figure 33(A) displays a list of marker ranges MQ associated with light bulb icon markers corresponding to the third emotion label in book A.

[0384] If it is determined in step S904 that the emotion label tab has not been selected, then in step S906 it is determined whether or not an operation has been performed on the marked specific range. If it is determined that an operation has been performed on the marked specific range, then in step S907 a usage screen display process is executed to display a specific portion of the electronic content, and the process ends. For example, by selecting the marker range MQ displaying "AIUEO..." on the marker list screen of Figure 33(A), a process is executed to display a usage screen displaying "AIUEO..." of book A on the display unit of the user terminal 300, similar to when quote Q of Figure 22(C) is selected.

[0385] If it is determined in step S906 that no operation has been performed on the highlighted specific range, then in step S908 it is determined whether or not a usage operation section has been selected. If it is determined that a usage operation section has been selected, then in step S909, a usage screen display process for the electronic content is executed, and the process ends. For example, if the usage operation icon R in Figure 33(A) is selected, processing is performed to display the usage screen for book A on the user terminal 300.

[0386] If it is determined in step S908 that no operation unit has been selected, it is determined in step S910 whether or not an operation to close the marker list screen has been performed. If an operation to close the marker list screen has not been performed, the process returns to step S902 and repeats. On the other hand, if, for example, an operation to display the home screen or the electronic content information screen has been performed, it is determined that an operation to close the marker list screen has been performed, and the process of displaying the marker list screen is terminated.

[0387] <About the book's introduction label> The following describes the introduction label 27 displayed on the electronic content information screen of FIG. 22(A). As described above, the introduction label 27 is a tag assigned according to a marker (emotion label) associated with a book displayed on the electronic content information screen or the status of a bulletin board. For example, an introduction label displaying words such as "A heart-stirring work" can be displayed on the electronic content information screen of a book to which a predetermined number of emotion labels have been associated (e.g., a book to which the total number of second emotion labels associated (e.g., the total of the aggregate information for "moving" in the marker data table of FIG. 34) is 50 or more). Also, for example, if a certain number or more (e.g., 50 or more) comments are posted on the bulletin board within a certain period (e.g., within three days, within one week, etc.), an introduction label displaying words such as "Active Community" can be displayed, as shown in FIG. 22(A). This allows a user to easily recognize information such as how the book has been evaluated by other users and the level of attention it has received from other users when displaying the electronic content information screen. It may also be possible to select the introductory label 27 and search for other books to which the same tag has been added.

[0388] <Modification of the second embodiment> Modifications of the above-described embodiment are listed below.

[0389] <Application to users in electronic content providing systems other than the first embodiment> In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the second embodiment is applied to a providing system that provides electronic content that can be used by users who belong to a group such as a company described in the first embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the processing related to bulletin boards, markers (emotion labels), and the like in the second embodiment may also be applied to a so-called BtoC system for individuals (hereinafter also referred to as a personal electronic store) in which individual users directly purchase and use electronic content handled by the providing system 1 (electronic content store, electronic book providing medium) even if they do not belong to a group such as a company.

[0390] Regarding display restrictions on the chat screen, etc., in the above-described embodiment, a user belonging to a group is restricted from viewing the contents of quote Q (the quoted range) on the bulletin board (talk screen) as illustrated in FIG. 29 unless the user activates the license for the electronic content (e.g., a group with a license purchase plan), and the usage screen for the cited electronic content cannot be displayed based on an operation on quote Q. Even in the case of a personal electronic store, viewing of the quoted range can be restricted for unpurchased books for which the user does not have a usage right associated with them, as illustrated in FIG. 29. For example, when the usage operation icon R is operated on the electronic content information screen for an unpurchased book, the screen may transition to a purchase screen. Alternatively, for an unpurchased book, the usage operation icon R may not be displayed, and an icon for a purchase operation (e.g., displaying words such as "Add to Cart" or "Purchase") may be displayed instead. Once the usage right for the book is associated with the user, for example, by purchasing the book, the usage screen for the book can be displayed on the user terminal 300, the viewing of the talk screen is no longer restricted, and the usage screen for the electronic content may be displayed based on an operation on quote Q. Similarly, on the marker list screen described with reference to FIG. 33 etc., the display and operation of the marker range MQ of unpurchased books are restricted.

[0391] In the case of a personal electronic store, other users refer to other users whose user information, etc., is associated with the server of the personal electronic store (for example, the storage unit 120 of the server 100). In the above-described embodiment, the poster of the talk screen and the other users who are the source of the count of the number of people associated with emotion labels on the marker list screen are users who belong to the same group when applied to the first embodiment. On the other hand, in the case of a personal electronic store, a user can have a discussion with other users of the personal electronic store on the talk screens such as those shown in Figures 22(B) and (D). Furthermore, the count results according to the emotion labels associated with other users of the personal electronic store are stored as marker data in Figure 34 and are displayed on the marker list screen such as Figure 33(A).

[0392] Even for a user who belongs to a group in the first embodiment, the marker list screen may display the aggregated results of emotion labels associated with users who belong to a group other than the group to which the user belongs (such as another company (e.g., G2 in FIG. 5) that uses the provision system 1 and is different from the company (e.g., G1 in FIG. 5) corresponding to the group to which the user belongs). The talk screen may also be provided with a bulletin board limited to the user's group and a bulletin board for discussions that include other groups.

[0393] <Display information for various specific ranges> (Display of suggestive information) In the above-described embodiment, with reference to Fig. 25(A), a suggestion icon S is displayed in an edge area of ​​the usage screen so as not to interfere with the viewing of text, etc., as suggestive information suggesting that there is a post that quotes a portion of the content of electronic content displayed on the usage screen. In other words, if a post in which at least one point within a range identifiable by an EPUB CFI corresponding to the displayed range of text, images, etc. is specified as a quoted range is stored in a bulletin board data table, etc. stored in the storage unit 120 of the server 100, a process is performed to display this on the usage screen displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300 (for example, the server 100 transmits suggestive information display information or the number of quoted comments to the user terminal 300). However, other display modes of the suggestive information may be adopted.

[0394] In other embodiments, for example, a mark may be displayed above or below the first line of a quoted comment in the electronic content. Alternatively, a mark may be displayed at the beginning of a line in the quoted text (e.g., diagonally above the first character of the quoted text). The mark may be a small, unnumbered suggestion icon S, an arrow, a small circle, or other display mode that does not interfere with viewing. For example, if "aiueo..." is quoted on the screen shown in FIG. 25(A), a mark may be displayed above or below the line "aiueo..." in the margin of the screen, closer to the edge of the text display area. Alternatively, a mark may be displayed next to or at the beginning of the character "a." This allows the user to recognize the presence of a quoted comment by marking the area near the quoted comment without interfering with the reading of the book.

[0395] Alternatively, the suggested information may be directly emphasized by highlighting the quoted range, etc. Furthermore, even in the case of such direct highlighting or marking, the suggested information modal screen 60 shown in FIG. 25(B) may be displayed by performing a selection operation (e.g., tapping, clicking, etc.) on the suggested information. The comments 30 displayed in the suggested information modal screen 60, which is displayed by selecting suggestive information such as direct highlighting or a mark attached to the beginning of a line, may include comments quoting a range that overlaps with the specific range that was highlighted or marked, or only comments quoting a range that matches the specific range indicated by the suggested information may be displayed. For example, if the range of "aiueo" in Figure 25(A) is directly highlighted as suggested information and a selection operation is performed on the highlight, the range that is displayed may be a range that partially overlaps with the suggested range of "aiueo" (for example, a range that is included in the suggested "aiueo", or a range where part of the quoted range overlaps with the suggested range), and only comments that quote a range that completely matches "aiueo" may be displayed.

[0396] Although the example in which the number of quoted comments is displayed on the suggestion icon S has been described, it may be possible for the number not to be displayed, or for the display of the number to be turned on or off. Alternatively, it may be possible for the user to set in advance whether or not to display the suggestion information itself, or for the suggestion information to be easily turned on or off by operating a predetermined location on the screen (for example, operating a predetermined icon or a blank screen outside the text area).

[0397] (About the display on the chat screen after operating suggestive information) In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which, when the suggestion icon S, which is suggestion information, is selected in Fig. 25(A), the suggestion information modal screen 60 is displayed, and then, by performing a predetermined operation on the suggestion information modal screen 60, the talk list screen of Fig. 22(B) is displayed. However, the modal screen may not be displayed in stages. For example, when the suggestion icon S in Fig. 25(A) is selected, a talk screen in which the comments 30 displayed on the suggestion information modal screen 60 in Fig. 25(B) are extracted may be displayed on the entire display unit.

[0398] Alternatively, quoted comments (comments associated with quotation location information) may be extracted from the comments 30 associated with Book A in the bulletin board data table, and the quoted comments may be sorted according to the order in which they appear in the digital content based on the quotation location information (EPUB CFI). Then, a transition to a talk screen may be made to display the comment whose quotation range begins at the beginning of the digital content among the comments counted as quoted comments as suggested by the suggestion information in FIG. 25(A). In this case, the comments 30 that can be displayed in the talk screen may not be limited to the comments counted as suggested by the suggestion information, but other comments may also be displayed. For example, by scrolling the screen, the comments 30 may be displayed according to the sorted order. Furthermore, the talk screen from which the comments 30 containing the quotation Q sorted according to the order in the content are extracted may be displayed as a screen after the settings of the talk filter 32 on the talk list screen illustrated in FIG. 22(B) have been automatically changed. The user may then operate the talk filter 32 to change the content displayed on the talk screen (e.g., to display comments 30 that do not contain the quotation Q, or to change the sort order).

[0399] In addition, the screen that allows users to easily check comments by operating the suggestion icon S is not limited to a modal screen that is superimposed on the usage screen, but may also be in the form of a drawer display in which a screen similar to the suggestion information modal screen 60 slides in.

[0400] (Display of information other than suggestive information on the usage screen) In the above-described embodiment, examples of displaying information other than suggestive information on the usage screen have been described, including the marker MH, which indicates the range to which a marker is associated as illustrated in FIG. 33(D), and the personal note OH, which indicates the presence or absence of a personal note as illustrated in FIG. 25(A). The marker MH and the personal note OH may be optionally turned on and off by a user operation, and may be displayed in a manner that allows the personal note OH, the marker MH, and the suggestive information to be distinguished from one another. Furthermore, similar to the suggestive icon S in FIG. 25, various icons, etc., may be displayed in an area different from the area where the content of the usage screen is displayed (e.g., the area where text is displayed) so as not to interfere with reading. Furthermore, similar to the suggestive icon S, the various icons may be displayed in a manner that changes depending on the range to which a personal note is associated or the presence or absence of a range to which a marker is associated within the content displayed on the usage screen. For example, like the suggestion icon S in Fig. 25(A), the number may be represented by a number, or if there are no associated notes or markers, they may be displayed in gray, and if there are, they may be displayed in color. Note that, like the citation range, various personal notes and markers can be stored in association with an EPUB CFI that identifies an arbitrary position within the content, making it possible to determine whether they exist or not.

[0401] (Regarding the upper limit of the scope of citation) An upper limit may be set on the range of quotation that can be used as the quotation Q described in the above-described embodiment. For example, the range selectable as the quotation Q may be up to 200 characters, or the upper limit may be set depending on the book (e.g., based on the wishes of the copyright holder or publisher). Furthermore, while a user can select a specific range even if it exceeds a predetermined number of characters, the display range may be limited when the quotation Q is displayed on a chat screen or the like. For example, if the upper limit is 200 characters, even if a user selects a range exceeding the upper limit, such as 300 characters, in step S802 of FIG. 28, only information identifying the first 200 characters may be associated with the comment in the bulletin board database. Alternatively, even if more than 200 characters are associated, the upper limit may be displayed on the bulletin board, and when the quotation Q is selected and the usage screen is displayed, the specific range of 300 characters specified by the posting user may be identified.

[0402] <About comments displayed on the chat screen> Comments displayed on the chat screen described in the above embodiment may be extracted and displayed if they satisfy certain conditions. The extraction conditions may be set by a user, or comments may be extracted according to specific conditions predetermined by an administrator. Examples of when specific conditions are satisfied include: (1) providing a follow function (favorite registration function) between users and displaying only comments from the followed users (specific conditions); (2) allowing a user to specify the ID (or account name) of a user whose comments the user wants to see for each book, and displaying only the comments from the specified user (specific conditions); (3) providing a block function between users, hiding comments from users designated by the user as blocked targets (blocked users), and displaying comments other than those blocked (specific conditions); and (4) using AI to automatically hide inappropriate comments (e.g., sensitive content, violent content, etc.) as bulletin board comments, thereby displaying non-inappropriate comments (specific conditions). Furthermore, a warning message may be displayed for inappropriate comments, prompting the user to decide whether to display them. These specific conditions may also be implemented in combination. In addition, not only on the talk screen, but also on the suggestive information modal screen described with reference to Figures 25(B) and (D), the extraction operation may be possible by setting in advance or on the usage screen.

[0403] <Regarding the range of markers displayed on the marker list screen> In the above-described embodiment, the number of markers displayed on the marker buttons MB1 to MB3 corresponding to the marker range MQ displayed on the marker list display screen described with reference to FIG. 33(A) and the like is the number of markers associated with the same range as the specific range displayed in the marker range MQ (e.g., the range selected by the user when associating markers). However, the number of markers associated with the same range as the marker range MQ displayed on the marker list screen may be counted and displayed, not limited to the number of markers associated with the same range as the marker range MQ displayed on the marker list screen. For example, the marker range MQ displayed on the marker list screen may not display all marker ranges stored in the marker data table, but may display only marker ranges that satisfy predetermined conditions. Alternatively, restrictions may be placed on the marker range MQ displayed on the marker list screen under predetermined circumstances. In this case, the number of markers associated with ranges that completely match the specific range of the marker range MQ displayed after satisfying a predetermined condition or after being limited under a predetermined situation may be reflected, as well as the number of markers associated with ranges that overlap with the specific range. For example, if a specific range is determined to be in the top 30% of the number of markers associated within a predetermined period, it may be determined that the specific condition is satisfied and displayed as a marker range MQ on the list screen. Alternatively, if there are multiple specific ranges specified as marker ranges with a match rate of 80% or more, it may be determined that the specific situation has been met, and the marker range with the longest specified range or the most popular marker range (e.g., the most associated people) among the specific ranges with a match rate of 80% or more may be displayed as a marker range MQ.

[0404] <Regarding the disclosure of markers> Markers associated with specific ranges described in the above-described embodiments may be made public so that other users can see which user associated the marker with which location in a book. Furthermore, a user may be able to set whether or not to make the marker public to other users for each book, each specific range, etc. Furthermore, the range of public / private access may be limited to a predetermined range of users (for example, the same group, friend users, other specified users, etc.), and the range of access may be individually limited for each book, each specific range, etc.

[0405] <About bulletin board types> (Public message board and purchaser-only message board) In the above-described embodiment, a bulletin board (talk screen) for each book can be displayed on the display unit of each user terminal 300 regardless of whether or not a user has a usage right for the book. However, for users without usage rights, as illustrated in FIG. 29 and other examples, there are restrictions on viewing the contents of the citation Q. Furthermore, since users do not have the right to display the usage screen for the book in the first place, they cannot operate the citation Q to display the usage screen. However, this is not limited to this. It is also possible to provide both a public bulletin board that can be viewed by any user regardless of whether or not they have a usage right (for example, in the case of a personal electronic store, whether or not they have purchased the book), and a purchaser-only bulletin board that can be viewed only by users with associated usage rights. For example, while the public bulletin board allows discussions that include users who own the book in paper form, citation comments posted by processing such as step S812 in FIG. 28 may be limited to the purchaser-only bulletin board, and only users with associated usage rights in the provision system 1 may be able to view the contents of the citation Q. In this way, by restricting the viewing of the quotation range depending on whether or not the right of use is held, it is possible for users to hold discussions with many other users, while also providing a bulletin board system that allows book sellers such as publishers to feel secure in knowing that the contents of copyrighted works will not be made public without due consideration.

[0406] Alternatively, a public bulletin board may not be provided, and access to the bulletin board (permission to display the talk screen) may be denied to users other than those granted usage rights, such as purchasers. Furthermore, even users without usage rights may be able to view comments 30 partially displayed in the talk column 23, as exemplified in the electronic content information screen of FIG. 22(A), but may be restricted from operating the talk list display icon 26. Regarding the marker list screen of FIG. 33, even users without usage rights may be able to view the marker range MQ partially displayed in the marker column 21 of FIG. 22(A), but may be restricted from operating the marker list display icon 24. Furthermore, users without usage rights may be restricted from viewing any of the comments 30 on the talk screen or the contents of the marker range MQ.

[0407] (Unlimited reading plan) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which a user who belongs to a license purchase plan is associated with a book's usage rights by activating a license that can be used by the user or purchasing a book, and is then able to display a bulletin board for the book with the associated usage rights. However, in addition to such users, users who use the bulletin board can also include users who use an unlimited reading plan. For example, in the first embodiment, this includes users whose group's usage plan is the unlimited reading plan, and users who have signed a contract for the unlimited reading plan when using the provision system 1 at a personal electronic store. In this case, if a user uses the unlimited reading plan, a bulletin board (with associated access rights) that can only be viewed by users using the unlimited reading plan may be provided. For example, even if the user does not have associated usage rights for a book that is the subject of the bulletin board (for example, a book not displayed in the My Bookshelf as exemplified in FIG. 12(B)), the book may be accessible by users of the unlimited reading plan. For users of the unlimited reading plan, the contents of the quote Q displayed on the unlimited reading plan-exclusive chat screen can be displayed on the user terminal 300, and by selecting and operating the quote Q, a process for asso...

Claims

1. A program executed on a computer that makes a plurality of electronic contents available to a user, The computer functioning as a screen display means for executing a process for displaying one of a plurality of screens including a comment sharing screen for enabling comments entered by a user on the available electronic content to be shared with other users, and an electronic content use screen for the electronic content currently being used; The screen display means The comment sharing screen is displayed without going through the electronic content usage screen, and processing for transitioning to an electronic content usage screen for the electronic content that is the subject of a comment can be executed in response to an operation by a user on the comment sharing screen; A program that displays the electronic content usage screen without going through the comment sharing screen, and that can execute processing to transition to a comment sharing screen containing comments on the electronic content being used in response to operations from the user on the electronic content usage screen.

2. The screen display means a process for transitioning the electronic content usage screen to a comment input screen for inputting a comment on the specific range of the electronic content in response to an operation for citing a specific range designated by a user from within the electronic content being used, is executed; 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the comment sharing screen displays the comment entered on the comment input screen together with a specific range of the electronic content from which the comment is quoted, thereby enabling the comment to be shared.

3. The screen display means The program described in claim 2, which is capable of executing a process to transition the comment sharing screen to an electronic content usage screen on which the quoted specific range is displayed in response to a user's operation on the quoted specific range.

4. The computer The program described in claim 2 functions as a reading means that performs processing to enable the quoted electronic content to be read aloud and played back from a position corresponding to the quoted specific range in response to a user's operation on the comment sharing screen regarding the quoted specific range.

5. the plurality of electronic contents include electronic books corresponding to each of a plurality of audiobooks; The computer The program of claim 2 functions as a playback start position determination means that, in response to a user's operation on the comment sharing screen regarding the quoted specific range, determines a playback start position for playing an audiobook corresponding to the quoted e-book from a position corresponding to the quoted specific range, and performs processing to enable playback of the audiobook from the determined playback start position.

6. the plurality of electronic contents include electronic books corresponding to each of a plurality of paper books; The computer The program described in claim 2 functions as a page number display means that performs processing to display, in response to a user's operation on the comment sharing screen regarding the quoted specific range, the page number in the paper book corresponding to the quoted electronic book on which the quoted specific range is written.

7. The screen display means The program described in claim 2 is capable of displaying suggestive information on the displayed electronic content usage screen that suggests that the range that has been quoted and commented on is included, and executing a process to transition to a comment sharing screen on which comments corresponding to the suggestive information can be displayed in response to a user's operation on the suggestive information.

8. The screen display means On the electronic content usage screen, in response to an operation for quoting a specific range designated by a user from within the electronic content being used, even when a predetermined range including a range overlapping with the specific range has already been quoted, a transition is made to a comment input screen for inputting a comment on the specific range of the electronic content, and processing can be executed to display the comment input on the comment input screen as a new comment quoting the specific range separately from comments that may already be displayed on the comment sharing screen; The program according to claim 2, which is capable of executing a process to display a response comment input field for inputting a response comment to a displayed comment on the comment sharing screen in response to a response operation from a user to the comment.

9. the comment sharing screen includes a first comment sharing screen capable of displaying a list of comments corresponding to the suggestive information operated by the user, and a second comment sharing screen capable of displaying a list of comments that may be included in the first comment sharing screen and other comments; The screen display means The program described in claim 7, which is capable of executing processing to display the first comment sharing screen before transitioning to the second comment sharing screen in response to a user's operation on the suggestion information on the electronic content usage screen.

10. The program according to claim 9 , wherein the first comment sharing screen is displayed superimposed on the electronic content use screen.

11. The program described in claim 10, wherein the screen display means executes processing to transition to the second comment sharing screen, which may display comments other than those corresponding to the suggestion information, in response to a predetermined operation from the user on the first comment sharing screen.

12. The program according to claim 10, wherein the screen display means is capable of executing a process for displaying a response comment input field for inputting a response comment to a comment included on the first comment sharing screen in response to a response operation from a user to the comment.

13. The suggestion information includes, when a range that is quoted and commented on may be included on the electronic content usage screen, a suggestion icon that suggests that the range is quoted and commented on; The screen display means includes:

8. The program according to claim 7, further comprising a process for displaying the suggestion icon on the electronic content usage screen in a location that does not interfere with the use of the electronic content.

14. the electronic content is content including text; The screen display means The program described in claim 13 is capable of executing processing to display the electronic content usage screen in a changed display mode in response to a change operation from a user to change the display mode including the display size of text on the electronic content usage screen, and is capable of executing processing to display the suggestion icon in a display mode corresponding to the number of comments that quote a specific range within the electronic content usage screen displayed in a display mode that can be changed by the change operation.

15. The screen display means a process for transitioning the electronic content usage screen to a memorandum input screen for inputting a memorandum for the user for a specific range within the electronic content being used in response to an operation by the user to designate the specific range; The program described in claim 13 is capable of executing a process to display memo suggestion information on the electronic content usage screen in a manner different from the suggestion information, the memo suggesting that the range memorandum is included on the electronic content usage screen.

16. The program according to claim 7 or 9, wherein the comment sharing screen includes comments made for a predetermined range including a range that overlaps with a specific range corresponding to the suggestive information on which the user performed an operation.

17. The screen display means The program of claim 2, which is capable of executing a process to transition the electronic content usage screen to a comment input screen for inputting comments by quoting multiple ranges as specific ranges specified by the user from within the electronic content being used.

18. The computer 8. The program according to claim 7, wherein the program functions as a means for switching whether or not the suggestion information is displayed on the electronic content usage screen in response to an operation by a user.

19. The program of claim 1, wherein the comment sharing screen includes a comment sharing screen that can only be displayed to users who are associated with the right to use the electronic content, and a comment sharing screen that can also be displayed to users who are not associated with the right to use the electronic content.

20. The computer 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program functions as an access right changing unit that executes a process for changing an access right for accessing the comment sharing screen associated with a user so that the access right is associated with another user.

21. The program described in claim 1, wherein the access rights for the user to access the comment sharing screen include a first access right that allows only the comment sharing screen for electronic content associated with a usage right to be displayed, and a second access right that allows the comment sharing screen for electronic content to be displayed regardless of whether the usage right is associated with the electronic content.

22. the plurality of electronic contents include electronic books corresponding to each of a plurality of paper books; The screen display means The program of claim 1, which executes processing to display a comment sharing screen for the e-book corresponding to the paper book to users to whom the usage rights of the electronic content are associated and users who have purchased the paper book corresponding to the e-book.

23. The screen display means The program described in claim 2, which enables a process to be executed to display comments on a comment sharing screen for each electronic content on a user terminal of a user who is not associated with the right to use the electronic content in a manner that restricts viewing of specific ranges quoted within the electronic content.

24. The screen display means The program described in claim 2, which is capable of executing a process to allow a user to input a comment for a specific range of electronic content different from the electronic content in response to an operation on the comment input screen on a comment sharing screen for each electronic content to specify and quote a specific range of electronic content different from the electronic content in question.

25. The program described in claim 24, which enables execution of a process to display comments on the comment sharing screen in a manner that restricts viewing of the quoted specific range on user terminals of users who are not associated with usage rights for electronic content different from the quoted electronic content.

26. The computer functioning as a group management means that executes a process for generating a group in which a plurality of users who satisfy a predetermined condition are associated with each other, in response to an operation by the user; The group management means a process for generating a group comment sharing screen for any electronic content among the available electronic content can be executed by the user operation; The screen display means 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program is capable of executing a process for displaying the group comment sharing screen only on user terminals of users who belong to a group desired by a user who created the group comment sharing screen.

27. The screen display means a process for transitioning to a review input screen for inputting a review from a user for the electronic content can be executed; The program according to claim 2 , wherein the review input screen does not allow quoting of a specific range within the electronic content.

28. The computer The program described in claim 2 functions as a means for executing a process to search for and display desired words from at least one of a specific range of electronic content and comments that can be displayed on the comment sharing screen.

29. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the screen display means extracts comments that satisfy a specific condition from the input comments and makes the extracted comments displayable on the comment sharing screen.

30. The computer The program described in claim 2 functions as a means for executing a process to change the display order of comments that quote a specific range of electronic content that can be displayed on the comment sharing screen so that the specific range is in an order that corresponds to the order in which it is displayed within the electronic content in accordance with user operation.

31. The computer functioning as emotion label associating means for executing a process for associating an emotion label designated by a user from among a plurality of emotion labels corresponding to emotions with a specific range within the electronic content on the electronic content usage screen; 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the screen display means is capable of executing a process for displaying an emotion label list screen that displays, via the emotion label associating means, a specific range in which emotion labels have been specified by a user including other users, and the specified emotion labels.

32. The emotion label associating means 32. The program according to claim 31, wherein, in response to receiving a predetermined operation from a user on the emotion label list screen displayed by the screen display means for a specific range for which another user has specified an emotion label, an emotion label is associated with the same specific range as the specific range for which the predetermined operation was performed in the electronic content of the user who performed the predetermined operation.

33. The computer an emotion label associating means for executing a process for associating an emotion label designated by a user from among a plurality of emotion labels corresponding to emotions with a specific range within the electronic content on the electronic content usage screen; The program of claim 1, which functions as a means for executing a process for associating and displaying an introduction label with the electronic content based on at least one of aggregated information of emotion labels specified by users including other users by the emotion label association means and aggregated information of comments on the comment sharing screen.

34. The computer functioning as tagging means that enables a process to associate a tag input by a user with a specific range within the electronic content on the electronic content usage screen; The program according to claim 1, wherein the screen display means is capable of executing a process for displaying a tag list screen that displays a specific range in which tags have been input by users, including other users, using the tagging means, and the input tags.

35. 35. The program according to claim 34, wherein the screen display means is capable of executing a process for displaying the tag list screen corresponding to tags that satisfy a predetermined condition among the tags associated by the tagging means.

36. The computer 35. The program according to claim 34, wherein the program functions as a means for executing a process for extracting and displaying electronic content recommended to a user based on the tag associated with each electronic content by said tagging means.

37. 1. A system comprising a computer making a plurality of electronic contents available to a user, the system comprising: a screen display means for executing a process to display one of a plurality of screens including a comment sharing screen for enabling comments input by a user on the available electronic content to be shared with other users, and an electronic content usage screen for when the electronic content is being used; The screen display means The comment sharing screen is displayed without going through the electronic content usage screen, and processing for transitioning to an electronic content usage screen for the electronic content that is the subject of a comment can be executed in response to an operation by a user on the comment sharing screen; A system that displays the electronic content usage screen without going through the comment sharing screen, and can execute processing to transition to a comment sharing screen containing comments on the electronic content being used in response to operations by the user on the electronic content usage screen.

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