Content display system, content display method, and content display program

Abstract

This invention provides a content display system, a content display method, and a content display program that enable users to set playback times according to the content while minimizing user effort. [Solution] In the content display system 10, the management server 1 includes an analysis processing unit 112 that analyzes the layout of the content, a calculation processing unit 113 that calculates a difficulty level representing the difficulty of understanding the subject matter included in the content based on the layout information obtained by the analysis processing unit 112, and a setting processing unit 114 that sets the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level calculated by the calculation processing unit 113.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for playing content on a display device such as a digital signage display.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a content display system called digital signage installed in public facilities or the like and playing content such as advertisements is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Generally, the content display system repeatedly plays the content based on a preset playback schedule.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, for example, when the content is mainly text, there is a problem that viewers cannot read all the content within the preset playback time. Also, although it is conceivable to configure the system so that a user (content registration user) can set the playback time according to the content, this configuration causes a problem of taking time and effort for the user.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a content display system, a content display method, and a content display program that can set a playback time according to the content while saving the user's time and effort.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A content display system according to one aspect of this disclosure is a system for playing content on a display device. The content display system comprises an analysis processing unit, a calculation processing unit, and a setting processing unit. The analysis processing unit analyzes the layout of the content. The calculation processing unit calculates a difficulty level, which represents the difficulty of understanding the subject matter included in the content, based on the layout information obtained by the analysis processing unit. The setting processing unit sets the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level calculated by the calculation processing unit.

[0007] A content display method relating to another aspect of this disclosure is a method for playing content on a display device. The content display method is a method in which one or more processors perform the following actions: analyzing the layout of the content; calculating a difficulty level representing the difficulty of understanding the subject matter included in the content based on the layout information obtained from the analysis of the layout; and setting the playback time of the content based on the calculated difficulty level.

[0008] A content display program according to another aspect of this disclosure is a program for playing content on a display device. The content display program is a program for causing one or more processors to perform the following actions: analyze the layout of the content; calculate a difficulty level representing the difficulty of understanding the subject matter included in the content based on the layout information obtained from the analysis of the layout; and set the playback time of the content based on the calculated difficulty level. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a content display system, a content display method, and a content display program that enable users to set playback times according to the content while saving them effort. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a content display system according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of content registration information according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of content playback information according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of the top screen displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of a settings screen displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of a content registration screen displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of a content addition screen displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of a content addition screen displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of a content addition screen displayed on a user terminal according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of calculating the difficulty level of paragraphs included in content according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows an example of calculating the playback time of content according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows an example of a content addition screen displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows an example of a content registration screen displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the procedure for content registration processing performed in the content display system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a playback time screen displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a process for setting relevance of paragraphs executed in a content display system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a content registration screen displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a content addition screen displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are examples that embody the present disclosure and do not have the character of limiting the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0012] The content display system 10 according to the present embodiment is a system that causes a display device 2 to play content. The content display system 10 is applied to a system that displays (plays) content composed of videos (moving images, still images, etc.), messages (text), voices, etc., such as advertisements, in various places such as stores, stations, street corners, offices, etc. For example, the content display system 10 is suitable for a digital signage system.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a content display system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The content display system 10 includes a management server 1, a display device 2, and a user terminal 3. The management server 1, the display device 2, and the user terminal 3 are communicably connected via a network N1. The network N1 is a communication network such as the Internet, LAN, WAN, or a public telephone line.

[0014] The content display system 10 may also include multiple display devices 2 and multiple user terminals 3. If the content display system 10 includes multiple display devices 2, each display device 2 is placed in a different location. The management server 1 monitors and controls the display devices 2, for example, and distributes signage data, including content and playback schedules, to the display devices 2. The management server 1 may be one unit or multiple units. The management server 1 and the display devices 2 may also be configured as a single unit.

[0015] The following describes the specific configuration of the content display system 10. In the following embodiment, as an example of the content display system 10, a configuration is described in which the management server 1 distributes signage data including content and playback schedule to the display device 2, and the display device 2 plays the content according to the playback schedule.

[0016] [Management Server 1] As shown in Figure 1, the management server 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an operation display unit 13, and a communication unit 14, etc. The management server 1 may be an information processing device such as a personal computer. Alternatively, the management server 1 may be a web server (cloud server) that provides web applications executable on the user terminal 3.

[0017] The communication unit 14 is a communication interface for connecting the management server 1 to the network N1 by wire or wireless connection and for performing data communication with the display device 2 and user terminal 3 via the network N1 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0018] The operation display unit 13 is a user interface comprising a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts operations. The operation display unit 13 accepts operations from, for example, the administrator of the management server 1. The administrator has the authority to create, register, and manage the content to be distributed.

[0019] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory that stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 12 stores a control program, such as a content registration program, which causes the control unit 11 to execute the content registration process described later (see Figure 14). For example, the content registration program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a reading device (not shown), such as a CD drive or DVD drive, provided by the management server 1 and stored in the storage unit 12. The content registration program is an example of a content display program according to this disclosure.

[0020] The storage unit 12 also stores content data corresponding to the content to be displayed on the display device 2, and content registration information D1 related to that content. The storage unit 12 also stores, in association with the content, identification information of the display device 2 to which the content is output (terminal name, IP address, MAC address, etc.), content playback information D2 indicating the playback date and time of the content (start date and time, end date and time, playback time), and playback order.

[0021] Figure 2 shows an example of content registration information D1. Content registration information D1 includes information such as content ID, content file name, and playback time for each piece of content. The content ID is the identification information for the content. The content file name is the file name of the content data (content file). The playback time is the time (display time) for the content to be played on the display device 2. The playback time is set by the control unit 11 through a process described later. Furthermore, content registration information D1 is registered by the control unit 11 in response to user (content registration user) operations when registering content.

[0022] Figure 3 shows an example of content playback information D2. Content playback information D2 includes information such as the start date and time when content playback begins, the end date and time when content playback ends, the playback order of the content, the file name of the content to be played, and the playback time. Content playback information D2 may also include, for example, a content playlist (timetable). Content playback information D2 is registered by the control unit 11 in response to the user's (content playback user's) operation when content is played. The user who registers the content and the user who plays (distributes) the content may be the same or different. Hereafter, the user who registers the content and the user who plays the content will simply be referred to as "user".

[0023] The control unit 11 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that performs various arithmetic operations. The ROM is a non-volatile memory unit that stores control programs such as a BIOS and OS in advance to allow the CPU to perform various operations. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile memory unit that stores various information and is used as a temporary memory (work area) for the various operations performed by the CPU. The control unit 11 controls the management server 1 by executing various control programs that are pre-stored in the ROM or memory unit 12 using the CPU.

[0024] Specifically, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as an acceptance processing unit 111, an analysis processing unit 112, a calculation processing unit 113, a setting processing unit 114, and a playback processing unit 115. The control unit 11 functions as one of these various processing units by executing various processes according to the content registration program. Some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 11 may be composed of electronic circuits. The content registration program may be a program that causes multiple processors to function as the various processing units.

[0025] The reception processing unit 111 receives various user operations. Specifically, the reception processing unit 111 receives operations such as the user registering content and the user playing content. The reception processing unit 111 also receives user operations on the user terminal 3. For example, if a user launches a content display application (web application) on the user terminal 3 and performs various operations, the reception processing unit 111 receives those operations.

[0026] For example, when a user launches a content display application on user terminal 3 and performs a login operation, the reception processing unit 111 performs the login process (authentication process) for that user and displays the top screen P1 shown in Figure 4 on user terminal 3. The top screen P1 displays a content registration button for registering content, a settings button for setting content playback time, a content distribution button for setting content playback (distribution) schedule, etc.

[0027] When a user presses the settings button on the top screen P1, the reception processing unit 111 displays the settings screen P2 shown in Figure 5 in response to that operation. The settings screen P2 displays a toggle button that allows the user to switch between enabling or disabling the function that automatically sets the playback time of the content (automatic setting function). The user can choose to enable ("ON") or disable ("OFF") the automatic setting function. The user selects whether to enable or disable the automatic setting function and presses the settings button. The reception processing unit 111 accepts the selection operation for the automatic setting function. Note that the automatic setting function may be set to enabled ("ON") by default.

[0028] When a user presses the content registration button on the top screen P1, the reception processing unit 111 displays the content registration screen P3 shown in Figure 6 in response to that operation. The content registration screen P3 displays a list of registered content. Figure 6 shows an example of the display when no content has been registered. When a user wants to register content to be played, they press the add button on the content registration screen P3. When a user presses the add button on the content registration screen P3, the reception processing unit 111 displays the content addition screen P4 shown in Figure 7 in response to that operation. Furthermore, when a user presses the file selection button on the content addition screen P4, the reception processing unit 111 displays the file selection screen P51 shown in Figure 8 in response to that operation. For example, user terminal 3 displays a list of files stored in the storage unit 32 of user terminal 3 on the file selection screen P51.

[0029] On the file selection screen P51, the user selects the desired file (content) and presses the OK button. Once the user selects a file, the reception processing unit 111 retrieves the data (content data) of that file from the user terminal 3 and stores it in the storage unit 12. The reception processing unit 111 also displays the file name of the selected file on the content addition screen P4, as shown in Figure 9. The playback time shown in Figure 9 is set by the setting process described later.

[0030] The analysis processing unit 112 analyzes the content acquired from the user terminal 3. Specifically, the analysis processing unit 112 analyzes the layout of the content. For example, the analysis processing unit 112 analyzes the layout of text, images (still images, videos), tables, etc., for the content corresponding to the file selected by the user. Furthermore, if the content includes text, the analysis processing unit 112 extracts multiple paragraphs that make up the text and analyzes the font size of each character in each extracted paragraph. If the target content is an image file, the analysis processing unit 112 performs OCR processing for analysis.

[0031] The calculation processing unit 113 calculates a difficulty level (coefficient) that represents the difficulty of understanding the text contained in the content (an example of the subject of reading in this disclosure) based on the analysis results such as layout information obtained by the analysis processing unit 112. Specifically, the calculation processing unit 113 estimates the relationships (dependencies, similarities) between multiple paragraphs contained in the text and calculates the difficulty level of each paragraph based on the estimated relationships. The calculation processing unit 113 also estimates the relationships based on at least one of the content and type (conjunctions, etc.) of characters contained in each of the multiple paragraphs.

[0032] Figure 10 shows a specific example of file F1 as an example of content. File F1 contains text. File F1 also contains document T1, consisting of paragraphs T11, T12, and T13, and document T2, consisting of paragraphs T21 and T22. A paragraph is a unit of text included in the whole document. Document T1 consists of three paragraphs, with paragraph T12 relating to the content of paragraph T11, and paragraph T13 relating to the content of paragraph T12. Document T2 consists of two paragraphs, with paragraph T22 relating to the content of paragraph T21. There is no relationship between document T1 and document T2. Here, the relationship can be estimated based on the similarity of words in each paragraph, the presence or absence of conjunctions ("also," "furthermore," "moreover," etc.), and the meaning of the paragraph as a whole. Known techniques can be applied to estimate the relationship.

[0033] In the example shown in Figure 10, the calculation processing unit 113 sets the difficulty level of the first paragraph T11 of text T1 to "1.0". Since paragraph T11 is the first text, the calculation processing unit 113 sets it to the baseline value of "1.0". For paragraph T12 that follows paragraph T11, for example, if a viewer reads paragraph T11 first and then reads the beginning of paragraph T12, "and" (conjunction), the reading time will increase as they try to read paragraph T12 carefully, thus increasing the difficulty of reading paragraph T12. In this case, the calculation processing unit 113 determines that paragraph T12 is related to paragraph T11 and sets the difficulty level of paragraph T12 to "1.5", which is higher than the baseline value.

[0034] Furthermore, regarding paragraph T13, which follows paragraph T12, if the viewer reads paragraph T12 and then reads the conjunction "Furthermore" at the beginning of paragraph T13, they will try to read paragraph T13 more carefully, which will increase the reading time and thus further increase the difficulty of reading paragraph T13. In this case, the calculation processing unit 113 determines that paragraph T13 is related to paragraph T12 and sets the difficulty level for paragraph T13 to "2.0".

[0035] In this layout, where related paragraphs are placed in lower layers, the reading time increases as you move to lower layers. Therefore, the calculation processing unit 113 calculates a higher difficulty value for paragraphs as you move to lower layers. In other words, the calculation processing unit 113 calculates a higher difficulty level the stronger the relationship between multiple paragraphs.

[0036] Furthermore, since text T2 is unrelated to text T1, the calculation processing unit 113 sets the difficulty level of paragraph T21 to the baseline value of "1.0" and the difficulty level of paragraph T22 to "1.5", similar to text T1. Alternatively, the calculation processing unit 113 may calculate the difficulty level of a paragraph based on the number of characters it contains.

[0037] Furthermore, the calculation processing unit 113 may calculate the difficulty level of the paragraph based on at least one of the difficulty level of the characters contained in the paragraph, the font size, and the level of specialization.

[0038] The setting processing unit 114 sets the playback time of the content corresponding to the file selected by the user. Specifically, the setting processing unit 114 sets the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level of the paragraphs calculated by the calculation processing unit 113.

[0039] Furthermore, the setting processing unit 114 sets the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level if the number of characters in the content is equal to or greater than a threshold, and sets the playback time of the content to a predetermined time if the number of characters is less than the threshold. For example, if the number of characters in the content is less than 100 words, the time required for viewers to read the content is often short. For this reason, the setting processing unit 114 sets the playback time of the content to a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) if the number of characters in the content is less than 100 words.

[0040] In contrast, when the content contains 100 or more words, the reading time for viewers of the content tends to be long, and the reading time is likely to fluctuate depending on the relevance of paragraphs, the difficulty of the characters, the font size, the level of specialization, etc. Therefore, when the content contains 100 or more words, the setting processing unit 114 sets the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level calculated by the setting processing unit 114. A specific example of how to set the playback time based on the difficulty level is described below.

[0041] The setting processing unit 114 corrects the reading time of each paragraph included in the content according to the difficulty level, and calculates the playback time of the content by summing the reading times of each corrected paragraph. Here, the average reading speed of a person is generally about 600 words per minute (10 words per second). For this reason, the setting processing unit 114 calculates the average reading time of a paragraph by dividing the number of characters in the paragraph by the average reading speed. For example, as shown in Figure 11, if paragraph T11 has 200 characters, the setting processing unit 114 calculates the average reading time as 20 seconds (=200÷10), if paragraph T12 has 160 characters, it calculates the average reading time as 16 seconds (=160÷10), and if paragraph T13 has 120 characters, it calculates the average reading time as 12 seconds (=120÷10).

[0042] Furthermore, the setting processing unit 114 calculates the reading time for a paragraph by multiplying the average reading time of that paragraph by a coefficient (the difficulty level). For example, for paragraph T11, the setting processing unit 114 calculates a reading time of "20 seconds" by multiplying the average reading time of "20 seconds" by the difficulty level of "1.0". Similarly, for paragraph T12, the setting processing unit 114 calculates a reading time of "24 seconds" by multiplying the average reading time of "16 seconds" by the difficulty level of "1.5", and for paragraph T13, it calculates a reading time of "24 seconds" by multiplying the average reading time of "12 seconds" by the difficulty level of "2.0". In the same manner, the setting processing unit 114 calculates the reading times for paragraphs T21 and T22.

[0043] The setting processing unit 114 then calculates the total reading time for each paragraph and sets the playback time for the content. In the example shown in Figure 11, the setting processing unit 114 calculates the total reading time for each paragraph ("112") and rounds it up to a predetermined unit (for example, "15 seconds") to set the playback time for the content (file F1) to "120 seconds".

[0044] In this way, the setting processing unit 114 sets the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level of each paragraph contained in the content.

[0045] If the function to automatically set the playback time of the content (automatic setting function) is enabled (set to "ON" in Figure 5), the setting processing unit 114 calculates the playback time of the content and displays that playback time on the content addition screen P4 (see Figure 9).

[0046] In contrast, if the automatic setting function is disabled (set to "OFF" in Figure 5), the setting processing unit 114 displays a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) as the playback time on the content addition screen P4, as shown in Figure 12.

[0047] Thus, if the content contains 100 or more characters, the setting processing unit 114 calculates the playback time of the content according to the difficulty level, regardless of whether the automatic setting function is enabled or disabled. However, it displays different playback times on the content addition screen P4 depending on the setting status of the automatic setting function (see Figures 9 and 12).

[0048] In another embodiment, the setting processing unit 114 may be configured to calculate the playback time of the content according to the difficulty level when the number of characters in the content is 100 or more and the automatic setting function is enabled, but not to calculate the playback time of the content according to the difficulty level when the number of characters in the content is 100 or more and the automatic setting function is disabled.

[0049] When the user presses the OK button on the content addition screen P4 (see, for example, Figure 9), the setting processing unit 114 displays the file name and playback time on the content registration screen P3, as shown in Figure 13. Figure 13 shows the state after files F1 and F2 have been registered. If the user wishes to finish the content registration operation, they press the Complete button on the content registration screen P3. When the user presses the Complete button, the reception processing unit 111 displays the top screen P1 (see Figure 4). If the user wishes to continue the content registration operation, they press the Add button on the content registration screen P3.

[0050] Furthermore, on the content addition screen P4 (see Figures 9 and 12), the user may be able to change the playback time. If the user changes the playback time, the setting processing unit 114 sets the changed time as the playback time of the content.

[0051] Once the setting processing unit 114 sets the playback time of the content as described above, it registers it in the content registration information D1 (see Figure 2). Each time content is registered by a user, the setting processing unit 114 calculates the playback time and registers it in the content registration information D1.

[0052] The playback processing unit 115 distributes content to the display device 2 for playback. Specifically, when the user presses the content distribution button on the top screen P1 (see Figure 4), the playback processing unit 115 displays a settings screen (not shown) in which the user can set the start date and time for starting content playback, the end date and time for ending content playback, the playback order of the content, the file names of the content to be played, etc., and accepts the user's setting operations. When the playback processing unit 115 receives setting operations for each setting item from the user, it registers each piece of information in the content playback information D2 (see Figure 3). Furthermore, when the playback processing unit 115 receives a content distribution instruction from the user, it distributes signage data including content data and a playback schedule (playlist) to the display device 2. The display device 2 plays multiple content items according to the playback schedule.

[0053] If a program containing multiple content items has a set time slot, the playback processing unit 115 repeatedly plays the multiple content items within that time slot. If the total playback time of the multiple content items included in the program exceeds the time slot, the playback processing unit 115 plays the content items sequentially, stopping playback of any content that cannot be played completely and switching to the next program. For example, if "Program 1," which has a time slot of 3 minutes, contains "Content A," which has a playback time of 2 minutes, and "Content B," which also has a playback time of 2 minutes, the playback processing unit 115 plays "Content A" for 2 minutes, then generates "Content B" for 1 minute, and then switches to the next "Program 2."

[0054] As described above, the management server 1 registers content in response to a user's registration operation, sets the playback time based on the difficulty level of the content, and plays the content on the display device 2.

[0055] [User terminal 3] As shown in Figure 1, the user terminal 3 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, an operation display unit 33, and a communication unit 34, etc. The user terminal 3 is an information processing device such as a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet terminal.

[0056] The communication unit 34 is a communication interface for connecting the user terminal 3 to the network N1 by wire or wireless connection and for performing data communication with the management server 1 and the display device 2 via the network N1 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0057] The operation display unit 33 is a user interface comprising a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or organic EL display that displays information such as various web pages, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts input. For example, the operation display unit 33 displays a screen executed by a content display application (web application).

[0058] The storage unit 32 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD, SSD, or flash memory that stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 32 stores a control program such as a browser program. Specifically, the browser program is a control program that causes the control unit 31 to execute communication processing with an external device such as the management server 1 in accordance with a communication protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). Alternatively, the browser program may be a dedicated application for executing communication processing with the management server 1 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0059] The control unit 31 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that performs various arithmetic operations. The ROM is a non-volatile memory unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and OS are pre-stored to cause the CPU to perform various operations. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile memory unit that stores various information and is used as a temporary memory (work area) for the various operations performed by the CPU. The control unit 31 controls the user terminal 3 by executing various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or memory unit 32 using the CPU.

[0060] Specifically, the control unit 31 includes various processing units such as a display processing unit 311, a reception processing unit 312, and a transmission processing unit 313. The control unit 31 functions as these various processing units by executing various processes according to the control program. Some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 31 may be composed of electronic circuits. The control program may be a program that causes multiple processors to function as these various processing units.

[0061] The display processing unit 311 displays the display screen from the content display application (Web application) on the operation display unit 33. For example, when a user logs into the content display application on the user terminal 3, the display processing unit 311 displays various operation screens on the operation display unit 33.

[0062] The reception processing unit 312 receives various operations from the user regarding the content display application. For example, the reception processing unit 312 receives operations from the user to register content to be played, and operations to play content.

[0063] The transmission processing unit 313 sends the file data corresponding to the content to be played to the management server 1. When the management server 1 receives the file from the user terminal 3, it stores it in the storage unit 12. The user terminal 3 may also download the content display application from the management server 1 and run the content display application.

[0064] [Content registration process] The following describes an example of the procedure for content registration processing performed by the control unit 11 of the management server 1, with reference to Figure 14. This disclosure can be considered as an invention of a content registration method (an example of a content display method) that performs one or more steps included in the content registration processing. Furthermore, one or more steps included in the content registration processing described herein may be omitted as appropriate. In addition, the execution order of each step in the content registration processing may differ to the extent that similar effects are produced. Furthermore, although the case in which each step in the content registration processing is performed by the control unit 11 is described here as an example, in other embodiments, each step in the content registration processing may be distributed and executed by multiple processors.

[0065] <Step S1> In step S1, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it has received an operation from the user to start registering content (registration start operation). For example, if the user launches the content display application on the user terminal 3, performs the login operation, and presses the content registration button on the top screen P1 (see Figure 4), the control unit 11 accepts the registration start operation (S1: Yes) and proceeds to step S2. The control unit 11 waits until it receives the registration start operation (S1: No).

[0066] <Step S2> In step S2, the control unit 11 displays the file selection screen P51 (see Figure 8). For example, if the user presses the content registration button on the top screen P1 (see Figure 4), then presses the add button on the content registration screen P3 (see Figure 6), and then presses the file selection button on the content addition screen P4 (see Figure 7), the control unit 11 displays the file selection screen P51. The control unit 11 then displays a list of files stored in the storage unit 32 of the user terminal 3 on the file selection screen P51.

[0067] <Step S3> In step S3, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it has received a file selection operation from the user. The user selects one or more files that they wish to register and presses the OK button. If the control unit 11 receives the selection operation (S3: Yes), it proceeds to step S4. The control unit 11 waits until it receives the selection operation (S3: No).

[0068] <Step S4> In step S4, the control unit 11 analyzes the file (content) selected by the user. Specifically, the control unit 11 calculates the number of characters contained in the content. The control unit 11 also analyzes the layout of documents (text), images (still images, videos), tables, etc.

[0069] <Step S5> In step S5, the control unit 11 determines whether the number of characters in the content is equal to or greater than a threshold. For example, if the number of characters in the content is 100 words or more (S5: Yes), the control unit 11 proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, if the number of characters in the content is less than 100 words (S5: No), the control unit 11 proceeds to step S20.

[0070] <Step S6> In step S6, the control unit 11 extracts multiple paragraphs that make up the text contained in the content. For example, as shown in Figure 10, for the content of file F1, the control unit 11 extracts paragraphs T11, T12, and T13 of text T1, and paragraphs T21 and T22 of text T2.

[0071] <Step S7> In step S7, the control unit 11 estimates the relationships (dependencies) between paragraphs. For example, the control unit 11 estimates the relationships between paragraphs based on the layout of each paragraph, the similarity of the words contained in each paragraph, the presence or absence of conjunctions ("also," "furthermore," "moreover," etc.), and the meaning of the paragraphs as a whole. For example, in text T1, the control unit 11 estimates that paragraphs T11, T12, and T13 are related to each other based on the conjunctions at the beginning of each paragraph, and in text T2, it estimates that paragraphs T21 and T22 are related to each other. On the other hand, the control unit 11 estimates that paragraphs T11-T13 and paragraphs T21 and T22 are not related to each other.

[0072] <Step S8> In step S8, the control unit 11 calculates the playback time of the content. For example, the control unit 11 calculates the difficulty level of a paragraph (see Figure 10), and calculates the reading time of the paragraph by multiplying the average reading time of the paragraph by the difficulty level (coefficient) (see Figure 11). Then, the control unit 11 calculates the reading time for each paragraph and calculates the playback time of the content by summing these up (see Figure 11). The control unit 11 may also display the method for calculating the playback time of the content, as shown in Figure 15. Furthermore, the user may be able to change the difficulty level (coefficient) and playback time on the screen shown in Figure 15.

[0073] <Step S9> In step S9, the control unit 11 determines whether the function for automatically setting the playback time of the content (automatic setting function) is enabled (ON in Figure 5) or disabled (OFF in Figure 5). If the automatic setting function is enabled (ON) (S9:Yes), the control unit 11 proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, if the automatic setting function is disabled (OFF) (S9:No), the control unit 11 proceeds to step S20.

[0074] <Step S10> In step S10, the control unit 11 sets the playback time calculated in step S8 as the playback time of the content (see Figure 9). When the user presses the OK button on the content addition screen P4, the control unit 11 registers the playback time in the content registration information D1 (see Figure 2). After step S10, the control unit 11 moves the process to step S11.

[0075] <Step S20> In step S20, the control unit 11 sets a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) as the playback time for the content (see Figure 12). When the user presses the OK button on the content addition screen P4, the control unit 11 registers the playback time in the content registration information D1 (see Figure 2). After step S20, the control unit 11 moves the process to step S11.

[0076] <Step S11> In step S11, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it has received confirmation from the user that content registration is complete. Once the playback time is set, the control unit 11 displays the playback time on the content registration screen P3 (see Figure 13). If the user presses the complete button on the content registration screen P3 (S11: Yes), the control unit 11 displays the top screen P1 (see Figure 4) and returns to step S1. On the other hand, if the user presses the add button on the content registration screen P3 (S11: No), the control unit 11 returns to step S2 and displays the file selection screen P51 (see Figure 8). In this manner, the control unit 11 executes the content registration process.

[0077] Figure 16 shows a specific example of the method for estimating the relationships (dependencies) between paragraphs in step S7.

[0078] <Step S31> In step S31, the control unit 11 determines whether there is a conjunction (such as "also," "furthermore," or "moreover") at the beginning of the paragraph that indicates a relationship with the preceding paragraph. If there is a conjunction at the beginning of the paragraph (S31: Yes), the control unit 11 moves the process to step S32; if there is no conjunction (S31: No), the process moves to step S33.

[0079] <Step S32> In step S32, the control unit 11 sets the paragraph relevance to "high (strong)". That is, the control unit 11 sets the paragraph difficulty to "2.0", which corresponds to the "high" relevance.

[0080] <Step S33> In step S33, the control unit 11 retrieves keywords from the paragraph. For example, the control unit 11 retrieves keywords from both the paragraph to be estimated and the paragraph placed above (immediately before) it. For example, the control unit 11 extracts keywords characteristic of the paragraph using machine learning.

[0081] <Step S34> In step S34, the control unit 11 calculates the similarity of keywords in each paragraph.

[0082] <Step S35> In step S35, the control unit 11 determines whether the calculated similarity is equal to or greater than the first threshold. If the similarity is equal to or greater than the first threshold (S35: Yes), the control unit 11 moves the process to step S36; if the similarity is less than the first threshold (S35: No), the control unit 11 moves the process to step S37.

[0083] <Step S36> In step S36, the control unit 11 sets the paragraph relevance to "high (strong)". That is, the control unit 11 sets the paragraph difficulty to "2.0", which corresponds to the "high" relevance. The control unit 11 may also set the difficulty to a lower level than the difficulty set in step S32.

[0084] <Step S37> In step S37, the control unit 11 determines whether the calculated similarity is greater than or equal to the second threshold. The second threshold is a value smaller than the first threshold. If the similarity is greater than or equal to the second threshold and less than the first threshold (S37: Yes), the control unit 11 moves the process to step S38; if the similarity is less than the second threshold (S37: No), the process moves to step S39.

[0085] <Step S38> In step S38, the control unit 11 sets the paragraph relevance to "medium". That is, the control unit 11 sets the paragraph difficulty to "1.5", which corresponds to the relevance of "medium".

[0086] <Step S39> In step S39, the control unit 11 sets the paragraph relevance to "low (weak)". That is, the control unit 11 sets the paragraph difficulty to "1.0", which corresponds to "low" relevance.

[0087] In this way, the control unit 11 sets the difficulty level to a higher value the stronger the relationship (dependency), and sets the difficulty level to a lower value the weaker the relationship (dependency). The control unit 11 sets the relationship and difficulty level of each paragraph in this manner.

[0088] As described above, the content display system 10 relating to this disclosure is a system that plays content on the display device 2. The content display system 10 also analyzes the layout of the content, calculates a difficulty level representing the difficulty of understanding the reading material (paragraphs) contained in the content based on the layout information obtained from the analysis, and sets the playback time of the content based on the calculated difficulty level.

[0089] Specifically, the content display system 10 sets the playback time of the content based on its difficulty level if the number of characters in the content is greater than or equal to a threshold, and sets the playback time of the content to a predetermined time if the number of characters is less than the threshold. The content display system 10 also extracts multiple paragraphs that make up the text, estimates the relationships between the multiple paragraphs, and calculates the difficulty level of each paragraph based on the estimated relationships.

[0090] According to the above configuration, for example, the playback time of the content can be automatically set according to the difficulty of understanding the text contained in the content. Therefore, it is possible to set the playback time according to the content while saving the user effort.

[0091] [Other embodiments] The content display system 10 relating to this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, but may also be the following embodiments.

[0092] Specifically, if the automatic setting function is disabled (set to "OFF" in Figure 5) and the playback time calculated based on the difficulty level exceeds a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds), the setting processing unit 114 may display identification information related to the playback time calculated based on the difficulty level, associated with the predetermined time.

[0093] For example, if the setting processing unit 114 calculates "120 seconds" as the playback time for the content of file F1 based on the difficulty level (see Figure 11), and the automatic setting function is disabled (set to "OFF" in Figure 5), the setting processing unit 114 will display the predetermined time of "10 seconds" as shown in Figure 17, and will also display a warning mark M1 (an example of the identification information) next to the 10 seconds. The warning mark M1 is information that informs the user (content registrant) that if the playback time is set to 10 seconds, the viewer may not be able to finish reading the content. Alternatively, the setting processing unit 114 may display the playback time based on the difficulty level ("120 seconds") next to the "10 seconds" instead of the warning mark M1. The setting processing unit 114 may also display the playback time based on the difficulty level ("120 seconds") next to the "10 seconds" and display a change button to change the playback time to 120 seconds.

[0094] Here, in the content registration screen P3 shown in Figure 17, if the user presses the warning mark M1, the setting processing unit 114 may display the playback time calculation method shown in Figure 15. Also, if the user presses the OK button on the screen shown in Figure 15, the setting processing unit 114 may change the playback time from "10 seconds" to "120 seconds," as shown in Figure 18. Furthermore, on the screen shown in Figure 15, the user may be able to change the difficulty level (coefficient) and playback time.

[0095] In the embodiments described above, text was used as an example of the object to be read, but the object to be read is not limited to text, and may be a table, for example. When the object to be read is a table, the setting processing unit 114 may set the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level if the number of cells in the table is equal to or greater than a threshold, and set a preset time as the playback time of the content if the number of cells is less than the threshold. The setting processing unit 114 may also calculate the difficulty level of the table based on at least one of the table's layout, the difficulty level of the characters in the cells, the font size, and the level of expertise.

[0096] In another embodiment, the setting processing unit 114 may calculate the difficulty level based on the attribute information of the content viewer. For example, if the viewer is a user who has been pre-registered for the content, it is assumed that the viewer has a high level of understanding of the content, so the setting processing unit 114 sets a shorter playback time by lowering the difficulty level of the content when the viewer watches the content. Conversely, if the viewer is a user who has not been pre-registered for the content, it is assumed that the viewer has a low level of understanding of the content, so the setting processing unit 114 sets a longer playback time by increasing the difficulty level of the content when the viewer watches the content. The setting processing unit 114 may identify the viewer based on pre-registered information, or it may identify the viewer based on the image from the camera mounted on the display device 2.

[0097] The control unit 11 of the management server 1 controls the entire management server 1. The control unit 11 realizes various functions by reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit 12 (for example, storage or ROM). The control unit 11 may be realized by one or more control devices / arithmetic units (CPU (Central Processing Unit), SoC (System on a Chip)). In addition, the control unit 11 may be composed of one or more control circuits (electronic circuits).

[0098] [Note on disclosure] The following is an overview of the disclosures extracted from each of the embodiments described above. Note that the configurations and processing functions described below can be selected and combined as desired.

[0099] <Note 1> A content display system that plays content on a display device, An analysis processing unit that analyzes the layout of the content, A calculation processing unit calculates a difficulty level that represents the difficulty of understanding the reading comprehension target included in the content, based on the layout information obtained by the analysis processing unit, A setting processing unit sets the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level calculated by the calculation processing unit, A content display system equipped with the following features.

[0100] <Note 2> The aforementioned setting processing unit, If the number of characters in the content exceeds a threshold, the playback time of the content is set based on the difficulty level. If the number of characters is less than the threshold, the playback time of the content is set to a predetermined time. The content display system described in Appendix 1.

[0101] <Note 3> When the object to be read is a text, the analysis processing unit extracts multiple paragraphs that make up the text, The calculation processing unit estimates the relationships between the plurality of paragraphs and calculates the difficulty level of each paragraph based on the estimated relationships. The content display system described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0102] <Note 4> The calculation processing unit estimates the relationship based on at least one of the content and type of characters contained in each of the plurality of paragraphs. The content display system described in Appendix 3.

[0103] <Note 5> The calculation processing unit calculates a higher difficulty level the stronger the relationship between the multiple paragraphs. The content display system described in Appendix 3 or 4.

[0104] <Note 6> When the object to be read is a text, the analysis processing unit extracts multiple paragraphs that make up the text, The calculation processing unit calculates the difficulty level for each paragraph based on at least one of the difficulty level, font size, and specialization of the characters contained in the paragraph. The setting processing unit sets the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level of each paragraph. A content display system as described in any of the appendices 1 to 5.

[0105] <Note 7> The setting processing unit displays the playback time set based on the difficulty level when the function for setting the playback time based on the difficulty level is enabled, and displays a predetermined time set in advance when the function is not disabled. A content display system as described in any of the appendices 1 to 6.

[0106] <Note 8> The setting processing unit, when the function is disabled and the playback time calculated based on the difficulty level exceeds the predetermined time, displays the identification information related to the playback time calculated based on the difficulty level in association with the predetermined time. The content display system described in Appendix 7.

[0107] <Note 9> When the object to be read is a table, the setting processing unit shall If the number of cells included in the table is equal to or greater than the threshold, the playback time of the content is set based on the difficulty level. If the number of cells is less than the threshold, the playback time of the content is set to a preset time. A content display system as described in any of the appendices 1 to 8.

[0108] <Note 10> A content display method for playing content on a display device, Analyzing the layout of the content mentioned above, Based on the layout information obtained by analyzing the aforementioned layout, the difficulty level, which represents the difficulty of understanding the reading material contained in the aforementioned content, is calculated. Based on the calculated difficulty level, the playback time of the content is set. A content display system run by one or more processors.

[0109] <Note 11> A content display program that plays content on a display device, Analyzing the layout of the content mentioned above, Based on the layout information obtained by analyzing the aforementioned layout, the difficulty level, which represents the difficulty of understanding the reading material contained in the aforementioned content, is calculated. Based on the calculated difficulty level, the playback time of the content is set. A content display program executed by one or more processors, or a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium on which such content display program is recorded. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0110] 10: Content display system 1: Management Server 11: Control Unit 111: Reception Processing Section 112: Analysis Processing Unit 113: Calculation Processing Unit 114: Configuration Processing Unit 115: Playback Processing Unit 2:Display device 3: User terminal 31: Control Unit 311: Display Processing Unit 312: Reception Processing Section 313: Transmission Processing Unit D1: Content registration information D2: Content Playback Information P1: Top screen P2: Settings screen P3: Content Registration Screen P4: Content Addition Screen P51: File selection screen

Claims

1. A content display system that plays content on a display device, An analysis processing unit that analyzes the layout of the content, A calculation processing unit calculates a difficulty level that represents the difficulty of understanding the reading comprehension target included in the content, based on the layout information obtained by the analysis processing unit, A setting processing unit sets the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level calculated by the calculation processing unit, A content display system equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned setting processing unit, If the number of characters in the content exceeds a threshold, the playback time of the content is set based on the difficulty level. If the number of characters is less than the threshold, the playback time of the content is set to a predetermined time. The content display system according to claim 1.

3. When the object to be read is a text, the analysis processing unit extracts multiple paragraphs that make up the text, The calculation processing unit estimates the relationships between the plurality of paragraphs and calculates the difficulty level of each paragraph based on the estimated relationships. The content display system according to claim 1.

4. The calculation processing unit estimates the relationship based on at least one of the content and type of characters contained in each of the plurality of paragraphs. The content display system according to claim 3.

5. The calculation processing unit calculates a higher difficulty level the stronger the relationship between the multiple paragraphs. The content display system according to claim 3.

6. When the object to be read is a text, the analysis processing unit extracts multiple paragraphs that make up the text, The calculation processing unit calculates the difficulty level for each paragraph based on at least one of the difficulty level, font size, and specialization of the characters contained in the paragraph. The setting processing unit sets the playback time of the content based on the difficulty level of each paragraph. A content display system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The setting processing unit displays the playback time set based on the difficulty level when the function for setting the playback time based on the difficulty level is enabled, and displays a predetermined time set in advance when the function is not disabled. A content display system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The setting processing unit, when the function is disabled and the playback time calculated based on the difficulty level exceeds the predetermined time, displays the identification information related to the playback time calculated based on the difficulty level in association with the predetermined time. The content display system according to claim 7.

9. When the object to be read is a table, the setting processing unit shall If the number of cells included in the table is equal to or greater than the threshold, the playback time of the content is set based on the difficulty level. If the number of cells is less than the threshold, the playback time of the content is set to a preset time. The content display system according to claim 1.

10. A content display method for playing content on a display device, Analyzing the layout of the content mentioned above, Based on the layout information obtained by analyzing the aforementioned layout, the difficulty level, which represents the difficulty of understanding the reading material contained in the aforementioned content, is calculated. Based on the calculated difficulty level, the playback time of the content is set. A content display system run by one or more processors.

11. A content display program that plays content on a display device, Analyzing the layout of the content mentioned above, Based on the layout information obtained by analyzing the aforementioned layout, the difficulty level, which represents the difficulty of understanding the reading material contained in the aforementioned content, is calculated. Based on the calculated difficulty level, the playback time of the content is set. A content display program designed to run on one or more processors.

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