Information display method, information display system, information collection device, and information collection program

Abstract

The information display system disclosed in this application has excellent effects, such as being able to provide consumers with posted information through display units such as digital signage and support them in considering purchases. [Solution] The information display system comprises an information collection device 1 that collects information via a public communication network, and a display control device 2 that can communicate with the information collection device 1 and displays the information on a display unit. The information collection device 1 collects posted information related to a designated target from a posting website that publishes posted information on the public communication network, generates display information by converting the collected posted information into a format that conforms to the specifications of the display unit to be displayed, and transmits display instruction information to the display control device 2 to display the display information. Based on the received display instruction information, the display control device 2 displays the display information on a display unit 33 located at a business office that conducts business related to the designated target.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application discloses an information collection device that collects information via a public communication network, an information display method that displays the collected information, an information display system to which the information display method is applied, an information collection device used in the information display system, and an information collection program for realizing the information collection device.

Background Art

[0002] There has been a spread of posting websites where ordinary users post evaluations such as impressions and criticisms regarding products and services. The evaluations posted on the posting websites no longer simply represent personal impressions, but also have an impact on the market. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a posting processing system that collects facts and improvement plans leading to the improvement of the company's own products and services.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The evaluations posted on the posting websites not only contribute to the improvement of the business, but also affect the purchase of products or services by consumers. The information display method and the like disclosed in this application are made in view of such circumstances, and for example, the main purpose is to provide posting information to consumers who are considering purchasing products or the like and to provide an information display method that supports the consideration of purchasing products or the like.

[0005] <…>0000028Also, this application has another purpose of providing an information display system that provides such an information display method, an information collection device used in such an information display system, and an information collection program for realizing such an information collection device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, the information display method disclosed in this application is an information display method that uses an information collection device to collect information via a public communication network and displays the collected information, characterized by performing the steps of: collecting posted information relating to a designated target from a posting website that publishes posted information on a public communication network; generating display information by converting the collected posted information into a format that conforms to the specifications of the display unit to be displayed; and displaying the generated display information on the display unit located at a business office that conducts business relating to the designated target.

[0007] Furthermore, the information display system disclosed in this application comprises an information collection device that collects information via a public communication network, and a display control device that can communicate with the information collection device and causes the information to be displayed on a display unit, wherein the information collection device comprises a posting information collection means that collects posting information relating to a specified designated object from a posting website that publishes posted posting information on a public communication network, a conversion means that generates display information by converting the collected posting information into a format that conforms to the specifications of the display unit to be displayed, and a transmission means that transmits display instruction information for displaying the display information to the display control device, wherein the display control device displays the display information on the display unit based on the received display instruction information.

[0008] Furthermore, in the information display system disclosed herein, the information collection device includes a storage processing means that stores the display information generated by the conversion means in a storage unit accessible via a public communication network, the display instruction information transmitted by the transmission means is a URL (Universal Resource Locator) that indicates the storage location of the display information stored in the storage unit on the public communication network, and the display control device causes the display information obtained from the storage unit based on the received display instruction information to be displayed in the display unit.

[0009] Furthermore, the information display device disclosed in this application is an information collection device that collects information via a public communication network, and is characterized by comprising: means for collecting posted information relating to a specified designated object from a posting website that publishes posted information on the public communication network; means for generating display information by converting the collected posted information into a format according to the specifications of a display unit to be displayed; and means for transmitting display instruction information for displaying the display information to a display control device that controls the display unit.

[0010] Furthermore, the information display program disclosed in this application is an information collection program that causes a computer to collect information via a public communication network, and is characterized by causing the computer to perform the following steps: collect posted information relating to a specified designated object from a posting website that publishes posted information on a public communication network; generate display information by converting the collected posted information into a format that conforms to the specifications of the display unit to be displayed; and transmit display instruction information for displaying the display information to a display control device that controls the display unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The information display method disclosed in this application displays posted information collected via a public communication network on a display unit. This has excellent effects, such as providing posted information to consumers considering purchasing goods, etc., through the display unit, thereby supporting their purchasing decisions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information display system disclosed in this application. [Figure 2] This block diagram schematically shows an example of the configuration of various devices used in the information display system disclosed in this application. [Figure 3] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the contents of a patrol list stored in the information display system disclosed in this application. [Figure 4]This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the information collection list used in the information display system disclosed in this application. [Figure 5] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the display information database used in the information display system disclosed in this application. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of information collection and transmission processing by an information collection device used in the information display system disclosed in this application. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of the information display process of the display control device used in the information display system disclosed in this application. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an image related to the implementation of the information display system disclosed in this application. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an image related to the implementation of the information display system disclosed in this application. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an image related to the implementation of the information display system disclosed in this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples of the embodiment of the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0014] <Examples of application> The information display system disclosed in this application collects posts from posting websites such as product sales sites, product introduction sites, web bulletin boards, and SNS (Social Networking Service) where posters post their opinions, criticisms, and other evaluations of products and / or services. The information display system then displays the collected posts on various display devices such as signage and various monitors installed in locations such as buildings, storefronts, shops, and product shelves where businesses such as product sales are conducted. The displayed posts are used to support consumers in purchasing products and for advertising purposes for businesses. The information display system described in the drawings will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] <System Configuration> Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information display system disclosed in this application. The information display system disclosed in this application is equipped with various devices such as an information collection device 1 and a display control device 2, and a display device 3 is connected to the display control device 2. The information collection device 1 and the display control device 2 are connected to each other via a communication network such as the Internet, a public communication network NW, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or a dedicated communication network. The information collection device 1 is a device that collects various information such as posted information from posting websites provided by a providing device 4 such as a web server computer via the public communication network NW. Posted information refers to information that indicates the content of comments, criticisms, and other evaluations, so to speak, posted (sent) by posters such as consumers and critics using terminal devices 5 such as personal computers and high-function mobile phones (so-called smartphones). The display control device 2 is a device that displays various information such as display information based on the posted information collected by the information collection device 1 on the display device 3. The display device 3 is installed in a business establishment that conducts business such as advertising and sales related to a designated target that has been designated as the target of posting information collection. In other words, the display device 3 is composed of various monitors, such as large monitors or signage placed on the walls or inside of a building, signage placed in front of a store, various monitors placed inside a store, and tablet computers placed on product shelves inside a store.

[0016] <Hardware Configuration of Various Devices> Next, the configuration of various devices used in the information display system disclosed in the present application will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of various devices used in the information display system disclosed in the present application. The information collection device 1 is configured using a computer such as a server computer. The information collection device 1 includes various components such as a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, and a communication unit 12.

[0017] The control unit 10 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes processing for controlling the entire device, and includes various circuits such as an information processing circuit, a timing circuit, and a register circuit.

[0018] The storage unit 11 is a storage unit configured using non-volatile memories such as hard disks, SSDs (Solid State Drives), RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks), flash memories, and various volatile memories such as various RAMs (Random Access Memories). In the storage unit 11, computer programs such as a basic program (OS: Operating System) and application programs (application programs) operating on the basic program are stored. As one of the application programs, an information collection program 110 for realizing the information collection device 1 is stored in the storage unit 11. Further, the storage unit 11 uses a part of the storage area as various databases such as a circular list 111, an information collection list 112, a display information database 113, and a playlist database 114.

[0019] Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the patrol list 111 used in the information display system disclosed in this application. The patrol list 111 is a table that stores patrol list data for various items such as patrol instruction information, collection destination attributes, collection target attributes, and poster attributes, associating them with a patrol ID that identifies the record in the list. Patrol instruction information is patrol list data such as URLs (Universal Resource Locators) that indicate the access destination, such as product introduction sites, web bulletin boards, and SNS posting websites, which are the destinations for collecting posted information. Collection destination attributes are patrol list data that indicate the attributes of the accessed SNS, web bulletin boards, etc. Collection target attributes are patrol list data that indicate the attributes of the products and services that are the targets for collection, such as daily necessities, electrical appliances, and music distribution. Poster attributes are patrol list data that indicate the attributes of the poster of the posted information, such as female, in her 20s, and company employee.

[0020] Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the information collection list 112 used in the information display system disclosed in this application. The information collection list 112 is a table that stores collection list data for various items such as information to be collected, display control device information, display device information, display format, and display time, associated with an information collection ID that identifies the record in the list. Information to be collected is collection list data that indicates the items to be collected, such as products and services, and includes information such as product names, service names, their abbreviations, common names, and product codes. Display control device information is collection list data such as the IP address and MAC address that identify the display control device 2 to which the collected information will be transmitted. Display device information is collection list data that identifies the display device 3 to which the image based on the display information will be displayed. Display format is collection list data that indicates the specifications and format of the image to be displayed on the display device 3, such as the aspect ratio, programming language, and image format. Display time is collection list data that indicates the timing of the display, such as the time and time interval to be displayed on the display device 3. The various collection list data stored in the information collection list 112 can be configured as needed by the business operator using the system by accessing a designated web page using the display control device 2 and a personal computer or other computer that can connect to the public communication network NW.

[0021] Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the display information database 113 used in the information display system disclosed in this application. The display information database 113 is a database that stores display information generated based on posted information, assigns a display information ID to identify the display information, and associates it with the information collection ID stored in the information collection list 112 and date and time information indicating the date and time of generation.

[0022] The playlist database 114 is a table that stores the order and interval of display information to be displayed on the display device 3 as playlist data, associated with the display device information. The various playlist data stored in the playlist database 114 can be configured by the operator by accessing a designated web page using a computer such as a personal computer that can connect to the display control device 2 or the public communication network NW.

[0023] The various databases described above may be configured to be formed not in a part of the storage area of ​​the storage unit 11 of the information collection device 1, but in the storage area of ​​a computer such as a database server computer that is accessible from the information collection device 1, and accessed from the information collection device 1 as needed. Furthermore, the various databases may not be configured independently, but may be configured in association with each other as appropriate.

[0024] Returning to the block diagram in Figure 2, the communication unit 12 of the information gathering device 1 is a communication unit such as a LAN port, and can connect to the public communication network NW via communication devices such as routers and gateways, and communicate with various devices via the public communication network NW.

[0025] As described above, the server computer or other computer operates as an information gathering device 1 by reading various programs, such as the information gathering program 110, stored in the storage unit 11 under the control of the control unit 10, and executing various steps contained in the various programs.

[0026] The display control device 2 is configured using various computers such as a control computer and an STB (Set Top Box) located in the store or in the management department or management entity that manages the various devices installed in the store. The display control device 2 includes various components such as a control unit 20, a storage unit 21, a communication unit 22, an operation unit 23, a display unit 24, and an output unit 25.

[0027] The memory unit 21 is a storage unit that stores various information such as various programs and data necessary to realize the display control device 2. For example, the data stored includes information such as advertising information for the company or its products that will be displayed in the store.

[0028] The operation unit 23 is an input unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel. The display unit 24 is a display unit such as an LCD monitor. The output unit 25 is an output unit that outputs control commands for controlling the display of the display device 3 and various data to the display device 3.

[0029] The display device 3 comprises various components such as a control unit 30, a storage unit 31, an input unit 32, a display unit 33, and an audio output unit 34. The input unit 32 is an input unit that receives various control commands and various data transmitted from the display control device 2. The audio output unit 34 is a speaker that outputs sound along with the image to be displayed on the display unit 33.

[0030] <Software processing for the device> Next, the processing of various devices used in the information display system disclosed in this application will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the information collection and transmission process of the information collection device 1 used in the information display system disclosed in this application. When the information collection device 1 satisfies the start conditions, such as reaching a predetermined start time, it performs information collection and transmission processing under the control of the control unit 10 which executes the information collection program 110. The information collection and transmission processing is performed on designated targets such as specified goods, product groups, services, service groups, stores, and businesses. It is also possible to specify a designated posting website, poster attributes, etc., as the information collection destination.

[0031] The control unit 10 of the information collection device 1 reads the patrol list data stored in the patrol list 111 and the collection list data stored in the information collection list 112 based on the patrol ID and information collection ID that are pre-associated with the designated target (S101). Based on the patrol list data and collection list data read in step S101, the information collection device 1 determines the collection destination and the target of the posted information relating to the designated target.

[0032] Based on the read patrol list data and collection list data, the control unit 10 accesses the posting website provided by the providing device 4 and collects posting information related to the specified target provided on the posting website (S102).

[0033] The control unit 10 converts the collected post information into a format that conforms to the specifications of the display unit 33 of the display device 3 to be displayed, based on the information indicating the display format stored in the information collection list 112 which is pre-associated with the specified target, and generates display information (S103). The control unit 10 stores the generated display information in the display information database 113 of the storage unit 11 (S104).

[0034] Then, the control unit 10 indicates the location and file name on the public communication network NW related to the stored display information, and transmits a URL that will serve as display instruction information for displaying the display information from the communication unit 12 to the display control device 2 via the public communication network NW based on the information collection list 112 (S105).

[0035] As described above, the information gathering device 1 performs information gathering and transmission processing.

[0036] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of information display processing by the display control device 2 used in the information display system disclosed in this application. The display control device 2, having received display instruction information from the information collection device 1, executes information display processing under the control of the control unit 20.

[0037] The control unit 20 of the display control device 2 accesses the information collection device 1 based on the received display instruction information, retrieves display information stored in the display information database 113 (S201), and retrieves playlist data stored in the playlist database 114 (S202).

[0038] Then, the control unit 20 of the display control device 2 causes still images, videos, and other images and sound information based on the acquired display information, etc., to be displayed on the display unit 33 of the display device 3 in the order and display interval based on the acquired playlist data (S203). Display on the display unit 33 is performed by outputting display commands and display information, etc., from the output unit 25 in the order and display interval based on the playlist data. The display device 3 displays still images, videos, and other images based on the display information, etc., received from the input unit 32 on the display unit 33, and outputs sound based on sound information from the sound output unit 34.

[0039] As described above, the display control device 2 executes the information display process.

[0040] <Examples> Next, an example of an image implementation relating to the information display system disclosed in this application will be described. Figures 8 to 10 are schematic explanatory diagrams showing an example of an image implementation relating to the information display system disclosed in this application. Figure 8 shows an example of a product sales site from which posted information is collected. Figure 9 shows an example of posted information. Figure 10 conceptually shows an example of the transition of images displayed on the display unit 33 of the display device 3. The information display system disclosed in this application collects information such as posted information from web pages such as sales sites exemplified in Figure 8. The information display system generates display information in a format compatible with the display device 3 based on the posted information, as exemplified in Figure 9. Then, as exemplified in Figure 10, the information display system displays the display information based on the posted information while continuously displaying various images, including advertisements.

[0041] As described above, the information display system disclosed in this application displays posted information on web pages such as sales sites on monitors such as large monitors, digital signage, and tablet computers. As a result, the display system disclosed in this application can provide posted information to consumers considering purchasing products, etc., through the display unit 33, thereby supporting their purchasing decisions and other considerations, and thus achieves excellent effects.

[0042] In particular, the information display system disclosed in this application can be deployed in various ways, such as by appropriately setting it in various databases such as patrol lists and information collection lists, to present information with high advertising effectiveness. Specifically, the information display system disclosed in this application can display information with high advertising effectiveness in a pinpoint manner, such as displaying posted information about displayed products posted by a woman in her 30s on the display unit 24 of a display device 3 such as a tablet placed on a shelf of daily necessities.

[0043] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various other forms. Therefore, these embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted restrictively. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and the text of the specification is not restrictive. Furthermore, any modifications and changes within the equivalent scope of the claims are all within the scope of the present invention.

[0044] For example, in the above embodiment, a system combining one display control device 2 and one display device 3 was described as an example, but the display system disclosed in this application is not limited to this and can be developed into various configurations. For example, the information display system disclosed in this application may be configured such that one display control device 2 controls the displays of multiple display devices 3, or a device integrating the display control device 2 and the display device 3 can be used, and so on, and can be developed into various configurations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1. Information gathering device 10 Control Unit 11 Storage section 110 Information Gathering Program 111 Patrol List 112 Information Gathering List 113 Display Information Database 114 Playlist Database 12 Communications Department 2 Display control device 20 Control Unit 21 Memory section 22 Communications Department 23 Control section 24 Display section 25 Output section 3 Display device 30 Control Unit 31 Storage section 32 Input section 33 Display section 34 Audio output section 4 Providing device 5 Terminal devices NW Public Communications Network

Claims

1. An information display method that uses an information collection device to collect information via a public communication network and displays the collected information, The steps include: collecting posted information related to a specified target from a posting website that publishes posted information on a public communication network; The steps include: generating display information by converting the collected post information into a format that conforms to the specifications of the display unit to which it should be displayed; The steps include: displaying the generated display information on the display unit located at the business establishment that conducts business related to the designated subject; An information display method characterized by performing the following.

2. An information gathering device that collects information via a public communication network, A display control device that can communicate with the aforementioned information collection device and displays information on the display unit. Equipped with, The aforementioned information gathering device is A means for collecting posted information that collects posted information related to a specified target from a posting website that publishes posted information on a public communication network, A conversion means that generates display information by converting the collected post information into a format that conforms to the specifications of the display unit to be displayed, A transmission means for transmitting display instruction information to the display control device for displaying display information. Equipped with, The aforementioned display control device is Based on the received display instruction information, the display unit is made to display the display information. An information display system characterized by the following features.

3. The aforementioned information gathering device is The system includes a storage processing means for storing the display information generated by the conversion means in a storage unit accessible via a public communication network, The display instruction information transmitted by the transmission means is a URL (Universal Resource Locator) that indicates the location of the display information stored in the storage unit on the public communication network. The aforementioned display control device is The display unit displays the display information obtained from the storage unit based on the received display instruction information. The information display system according to claim 2, characterized in that it is the same as described in claim 2.

4. An information gathering device that collects information via a public communication network, A means for collecting posted information related to a specified target from a posting website that publishes posted information on a public communication network, A means for generating display information by converting the collected post information into a format that conforms to the specifications of the display unit to be displayed, Means for transmitting display instruction information for displaying display information to a display control device that controls the display unit, An information gathering device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

5. An information gathering program that causes a computer to collect information via a public communication network, On the computer, The steps include: collecting posted information related to a specified target from a posting website that publishes posted information on a public communication network; The steps include: generating display information by converting the collected post information into a format that conforms to the specifications of the display unit to be displayed; The steps include: transmitting display instruction information for displaying the display unit to a display control device that controls the display unit; An information gathering program characterized by causing the execution of [a specific action].

Images