Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To improve the usability of mobile messengers. [Solution] The information processing device according to the present invention comprises a registration unit and a provision unit. The registration unit registers multiple business accounts that cooperate with each other as a business consortium in response to a request from a business operator that operates a business account, which is a business account opened on a mobile messenger application. The provision unit provides information about the business consortium to users of the mobile messenger application who are able to exchange messages with business accounts, based on information related to businesses belonging to the business consortium.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as one of the communication tools available on mobile communication terminals, mobile messengers have been widely used. For example, in relation to mobile messengers, technologies for transmitting voice messages between chat participants using mobile messengers have also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the conventional technology has room for improvement in improving the usability of mobile messengers.

[0005] This application has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to improve the usability of mobile messengers.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The information processing device according to this application comprises a registration unit and a provision unit. The registration unit registers multiple business accounts that cooperate with each other as a business consortium, in response to a request from a business operator that operates a business account, which is a business account opened on a mobile messenger application. The provision unit provides information about the business consortium to users of the mobile messenger application who are able to exchange messages with business accounts, based on information related to businesses belonging to the business consortium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the usability of a mobile messenger can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of information processing (part 1) according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of information processing (part 2) according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an image of the service provided according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an image of the service provided according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the system configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an overview of the business information stored in the business information storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an overview of the collaborative information stored in the collaborative information storage unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an overview of the alliance information stored in the alliance information storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 10]Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure for information processing (part 1) performed by the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure for information processing (part 2) performed by the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure for information processing (part 3) performed by the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that implements the functions of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes in detail, with reference to the drawings, the embodiments for implementing the information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program according to the present application (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments"). Note that these embodiments do not limit the information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program according to the present application. Furthermore, each embodiment can be appropriately combined as long as the processing content is not inconsistent. Also, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in each of the following embodiments, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] [Embodiment] [1. An example of information processing] (1-1. Information Processing (Part 1)) The following describes an example of information processing according to the embodiment, with reference to the drawings. First, the outline of information processing (part 1) according to the embodiment will be explained using Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram for illustrating an example of information processing (part 1) according to the embodiment. The information processing (part 1) described below aims to improve the convenience of official accounts in mobile messenger services by providing a mechanism that provides consistent services among businesses that have official accounts, using a communication service using mobile messenger as a platform.

[0011] The information processing (Part 1) according to the embodiment is realized by an information processing system SYS (see, for example, FIG. 5) including the operator devices 10A, 10B, and 10C shown in FIG. 1 and the information processing device 100 shown in FIG. 1. The operator devices 10A to 10C and the information processing device 100 are each connected to a network N (see, for example, FIG. 5) by wire or wirelessly. The operator devices 10A to 10C and the information processing device 100 can communicate with other devices through the network N.

[0012] In the following description, when it is not necessary to particularly distinguish and describe the operator devices 10A, 10B, and 10C, they will be collectively described as "operator device 10". Also, when it is not necessary to particularly distinguish and describe the operators UA, UB, and UC, they will be collectively described as "operator U".

[0013] The operator device 10 is used by the operator U. An application program for using a mobile messenger, that is, a mobile messenger application (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as "messenger app") is pre-installed in the operator device 10. The operator U is an example of an operator who operates an official account (also referred to as "operator account"), which is an account for the operator opened on the mobile messenger application.

[0014] The official account is an authenticated account certified by the service provider of the communication service executed through the messenger app. Different from the accounts of ordinary messaging apps, the official account enables message exchanges with users of the above-mentioned communication service who have added the official account as a friend. In addition, the official account can provide shopping cards, offer chat services using generative AI (Artificial Intelligence), distribute advertising messages, etc. Generative AI is realized by AI (Artificial Intelligence) such as GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer). GPT is a language model capable of generating text through natural language processing technology.

[0015] In addition, the above-mentioned communication service enables the setting of an alliance (an example of a "business community") that links official accounts to each other. As a result, business operator U who operates the official account can cooperate with other business operator U as an alliance.

[0016] For example, business operator device 10A transmits an alliance creation request to information processing device 100 according to the operation of business operator UA (step S01). The alliance creation request includes a business operator ID for identifying business operator UA who operates the official account that is the source of the alliance creation request, and a business operator ID for identifying business operator UB who operates the official account of the cooperation target.

[0017] When information processing device 100 receives the alliance creation request, it executes alliance registration (step S02). For example, information processing device 100 registers the business operator accounts (business operator IDs) of business operator UA and business operator UB that cooperate with each other as an alliance, in association with an alliance ID (an example of "community identification information") for identifying the alliance.

[0018] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may, when registering an alliance, generate alliance information including information indicating the name of the alliance and information indicating the attributes of the alliance, and register this information in association with the alliance ID. Alliance attributes include information indicating which businesses U (official accounts) belong to the alliance, information indicating the area where the businesses U belonging to the alliance are located, and information indicating the business category (industry, business type, etc.) of the businesses U belonging to the alliance. Alliance attributes may be registered by the businesses U belonging to the alliance, or they may be estimated and set by the generating AI based on information about each business belonging to the alliance.

[0019] After the alliance registration is complete, the information processing device 100 sends an alliance registration completion notification to the business device 10A (step S03).

[0020] Operator UA confirms the alliance registration completion notification sent from the information processing device 100, and thereafter cooperates with Operator UB as an alliance partner.

[0021] Furthermore, the operator device 10C transmits a request to open an official account to the information processing device 100 in accordance with the operator UC's instructions (step S11). The operator UC is a new operator that is opening an official account.

[0022] When the information processing device 100 receives a request to open an official account, it performs an authentication process based on the information of the business operator's UC included in the request, and if the authentication is successful, it grants an official account to the business operator's UC.

[0023] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 can provide the business operator UC, which has opened an official account, with functions for creating new alliances and joining existing alliances. For example, the information processing device 100 can provide the business operator UC with the functions for creating new alliances and joining existing alliances as part of the functions installed in the messenger app, or as part of the functions installed in a predetermined tool provided to the business operator UC by the communication service provider. The business operator UC can, for example, send the above-mentioned alliance creation request to the information processing device 100 by using the new alliance creation function by operating the messenger app or the predetermined tool. The business operator UC can also, for example, send a request to join an existing alliance to the information processing device 100 by using the join function by operating the messenger app or the predetermined tool. When the information processing device 100 receives a request to join an existing alliance from the business operator UC, it can mediate the alliance joining by notifying the official account that set up the relevant alliance that a request to join the alliance has been made.

[0024] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 selects an alliance from the existing alliances that matches the attributes of the business operator UC, based on the attributes of the existing alliances and the attributes of the business operator UC that has newly opened an official account (step S12). For example, in the example shown in Figure 1, since the location of the business operator UC that has newly opened an official account is "Shopping Street Z", the information processing device 100 can select an alliance to which business operator UA and business operator UB, which also have "Shopping Street Z" as an attribute, belong.

[0025] After the alliance is selected, the information processing device 100 provides the information to the operator UC by sending a notification of the opening of an official account and alliance proposal information proposing participation in the alliance to the operator device 10C (step S13).

[0026] The UC operator can consider joining the alliance based on the alliance proposal information received from the information processing device 100.

[0027] As described above, the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment enables the setting up of alliances that link official accounts together, and can also provide, for example, proposal information to new businesses that have opened official accounts, suggesting their participation in the alliance. In this way, the information processing device 100 can improve the convenience of official accounts in mobile messenger services.

[0028] Furthermore, the communication service provided as the first service is pre-linked with several other services. For example, the user IDs assigned to identify users in the communication service provided as the first service, the e-commerce (EC) service provided as the second service, the social networking service (SNS) provided as the third service, the search portal provided as the fourth service, and the news site provided as the fifth service are all linked together.

[0029] The information processing device 100 can provide official accounts with information based on each service through the user IDs of users of the communication services. For example, the information processing device 100 can obtain attribute information and behavioral history indicating the user's attributes in each service based on the user IDs of each user who has added each official account belonging to the alliance as a friend, and generate statistical information based on the obtained attribute information and behavioral history. For example, the information processing device 100 can generate various statistical information indicating trends such as the age group, gender, place of residence, content of other services used, and average payment amount in other services of each user who has added each official account belonging to the alliance as a friend. The information processing device 100 then provides the generated statistical information to each official account.

[0030] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may acquire the user's activity history for each service based on the user ID of each user who has added the first official account belonging to the alliance as a friend, and generate statistical information based on the acquired activity history. The information processing device 100 may then provide the second official account belonging to the same alliance with statistical information regarding each user who has added the first official account as a friend.

[0031] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may calculate the contribution of the alliance to each business operator based on the number of times a predetermined conversion (for example, friend registration) occurs from the alliance, and may obtain a predetermined fee from each business operator based on the calculated contribution. For example, the information processing device 100 assumes that, through the provision of alliance information to which business operators UA, UB, and UC belong, business operator UA receives 50 friend registrations, business operator UB receives 30, and business operator UC receives 20. In this case, the information processing device 100 calculates the alliance's contribution to business operator UA as 50%, to business operator UB as 30%, and to business operator UC as 20%. The information processing device 100 then calculates a fee for each business operator U by apportioning the advertising costs incurred in response to the provision of alliance information according to the contribution, and collects the calculated fee from each business operator U.

[0032] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may, for example, recognize a contribution by business UA if it generates friend registrations for business UB by distributing advertisements for business UB on business UA's official account. In this case, the information processing device 100 may distribute a portion of the commission collected from business UB for the costs of distributing the advertisements to business UA in proportion to the degree of business UA's contribution.

[0033] (1-2. Information Processing (Part 2)) The following outline of the information processing (part 2) according to the embodiment will be explained using Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the information processing (part 2) according to the embodiment. The embodiment described below aims to improve the usability of mobile messenger services by providing a mechanism that provides consistent services among businesses with official accounts, using a communication service using mobile messenger as a platform.

[0034] The information processing according to the embodiment (part 2) is implemented by an information processing system SYS (see, for example, Figure 5) which includes user devices 20A, 20B, and 20C shown in Figure 2, and an information processing device 100 shown in Figure 2. The user devices 20A to 20C and the information processing device 100 are each connected to a network N (see, for example, Figure 5) by wire or wireless. The user devices 20A to 20C and the information processing device 100 can communicate with other devices through the network N.

[0035] In the following explanation, if it is not necessary to distinguish between user devices 20A, 20B, and 20C, they will be collectively referred to as "user device 20." Similarly, if it is not necessary to distinguish between user EUA, user EUB, and user EUC, they will be collectively referred to as "user EU."

[0036] User device 20 is used by user EU. A messenger application is pre-installed on user device 20. User EU is assigned a standard messaging application account.

[0037] For example, User EUA operates User Device 20A to launch the messenger application and sends a request to the information processing device 100 to obtain alliance information via the messenger application (step S21).

[0038] For example, a user EUA can send a request to the information processing device 100 to retrieve alliance information corresponding to a selected thumbnail by selecting a thumbnail corresponding to a desired alliance from the alliance list displayed on a designated screen of the messenger app.

[0039] Furthermore, when the information processing device 100 provides an alliance list to a user EUA via a messenger application, it may estimate the degree of harmony between the alliance's attributes and the user EUA's attributes, and select alliances with a high estimated degree of harmony as the target for information provision to the user EUA. For example, the information processing device 100 can estimate that the degree of harmony between Alliance EX1 and the user EUA is high if the user EUA's place of residence is included within the area where Alliance EX1 is located. The information processing device 100 may estimate the degree of harmony using a trained model, or it may estimate it based on a pre-configured rule base.

[0040] When the information processing device 100 receives a request to acquire alliance information from the user device 20A, it acquires the alliance information corresponding to the acquisition request (step S22). For example, the information processing device 100 acquires information about official accounts belonging to the alliance (such as the name of the official account (e.g., store name) and the URL of the home screen) as alliance information. The information processing device 100 then provides the acquired alliance information to the user EUA by transmitting it to the user device 20A (step S23). For example, the information processing device 100 can provide the user EUA with alliance information by transmitting an account list listing the official accounts included in the relevant alliance to the user EUA.

[0041] Furthermore, when providing an account list to a user EUA, the information processing device 100 may estimate the degree of harmony between the attributes of the official accounts belonging to the account list and the attributes of the user EUA, and may rearrange and provide the list so that official accounts with attributes that have a high estimated degree of harmony are displayed preferentially. For example, if the user EUA's age is included in the age range of each user who has added the official account as a friend, the information processing device 100 can estimate that the degree of harmony between the attributes of the official account and the attributes of the user EUA is high. Also, for example, if the user EUA's place of residence is near the location of the business operator U that operates the official account, the information processing device 100 can estimate that the degree of harmony between the attributes of the official account and the attributes of the user EUA is high.

[0042] Furthermore, if the information processing device 100 receives a request from a user EUA to obtain information about official accounts, it may select as official accounts to be provided to the user EUA an official account that is not yet registered as a friend of an official account to which the user EUA belongs. In this case, the information processing device 100 may also suggest to the user EUA that they register as a friend of the selected official account, or the user EUA may be automatically registered as a friend of an official account that the user EUA has not yet registered as a friend, or the information processing device 100 may contact the user EUA and register them as a friend only if they agree.

[0043] Furthermore, if the information processing device 100 receives a request from the second official account of the alliance to which the first official account belongs through a predetermined screen where messages are exchanged between the user EUA and the first official account, it may also share information regarding the request with the second official account. The specific image of the service will be explained below using Figures 3 and 4. Figures 3 and 4 show an image of the service provided according to the embodiment.

[0044] As shown in Figure 3, User EUA displays the chat screen W-1 (an example of a "predetermined screen") of the official account of [Hotel LY], which is registered as a friend, on the user device 20A, and exchanges messages with the official account of [Hotel LY] through the chat screen W-1. Here, in the message exchange with the official account of [Hotel LY], User EUA requests, following a suggestion from [Hotel LY], to link a reservation and user information with [Sushi Restaurant Ikkyu], which belongs to the same alliance as the official account of [Hotel LY]. In this case, the information processing device 100 links the information related to the request on the chat screen W-1 to the official account of [Sushi Restaurant Ikkyu]. For example, the information processing device 100 links the reservation date and time and User EUA's information to the official account of [Sushi Restaurant Ikkyu]. User EUA displays the chat screen W-2 of the official account of [Sushi Restaurant Ikkyu] on the user device 20A, and can view the reservation confirmation message sent from [Sushi Restaurant Ikkyu] through the chat screen W-2.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, if user EUA has added the official account of [Hotel LY] as a friend, the information processing device 100 can provide advertising information Ad from [Souvenir Shop Q], which belongs to the same alliance as the official account of [Hotel LY], through a predetermined screen W-3 of the messenger app. For example, the information processing device 100 may require that the official account of [Hotel LY] and the official account of [Souvenir Shop Q] are coordinating with each other regarding the distribution of their advertisements. If user EUA selects advertising information Ad, the home screen W-4 of the official account of [Souvenir Shop Q] is displayed on the user device 20A.

[0046] As described above, the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment can provide alliance information and official account information to users of the communication service via the messenger app (for example, user EUAs), and can also provide a seamless user experience in the communication service. In this way, the information processing device 100 can improve the usability of the mobile messenger service.

[0047] [2. System Configuration] The configuration of the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, the information processing system SYS according to this embodiment includes a plurality of business operators 10, such as business operator equipment 10A, business operator equipment 10B, and business operator equipment 10C, a plurality of user devices 20, such as user devices 20A, user devices 20B, and user devices 20C, and an information processing device 100. Note that Figure 5 is merely an example of the configuration of the information processing system SYS according to this embodiment, and it may also include other devices such as a service provider device that performs processing related to a portal site that provides various online services.

[0049] The operator equipment 10, the user equipment 20, and the information processing device 100 are connected to the network N by wire or wireless connection. Each of the operator equipment 10, the user equipment 20, and the information processing device 100 can communicate with other devices through the network N.

[0050] Network N includes, for example, WANs (Wide Area Networks) such as the Internet, and mobile communication networks such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation: 5th Generation Mobile Communication System).

[0051] The operator device 10 connects to network N via a mobile communication network or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi (Local Area Network), and can communicate with other devices such as the information processing device 100 through network N.

[0052] Furthermore, the service provider device 10 is used by service provider U, which uses the messenger application. The service provider device 10 may be, for example, a notebook PC (personal computer), a desktop PC, a smartphone, or a tablet PC.

[0053] Operator U can launch a messenger application by operating the operator device 10 and send alliance creation requests and other messages to the information processing device 100 through the messenger application. Alternatively, Operator U may access the information processing device 100 via an API (Application Programming Interface) provided by the service provider managing the information processing device 100 and send alliance creation requests and other messages through a predetermined tool displayed on the operator device 10 as a user interface. The predetermined tool may be a dedicated application program equipped with various functions for executing processes such as sending alliance creation requests, or it may be a predetermined management screen that can be displayed as a web page via a web browser.

[0054] Furthermore, the business operator's device 10 can display content provided by the information processing device 100, for example, using a dedicated application or a web browser. When the business operator's device 10 receives control information from the information processing device 100 to perform the information display process, it performs the display process according to the control information.

[0055] Control information is described using, for example, scripting languages ​​such as JavaScript (registered trademark), stylesheet languages ​​such as CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), programming languages ​​such as Java (registered trademark), or markup languages ​​such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language). Alternatively, a predetermined application distributed from the information processing device 100 may be considered as control information.

[0056] The user device 20 connects to network N via a mobile communication network or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi (Local Area Network), and can communicate with other devices such as the information processing device 100 through network N.

[0057] Furthermore, the user device 20 is used by user EU who utilize the messenger application. The user device 20 may be, for example, a notebook PC (personal computer), a desktop PC, a smartphone, or a tablet PC.

[0058] User EU can launch the messenger application by operating the user device 20, and send requests for alliance information and other messages to the information processing device 100 through the messenger application.

[0059] Furthermore, the user device 20 can display content provided by the information processing device 100, for example, using a dedicated application or a web browser. When the user device 20 receives control information from the information processing device 100 to implement the information display process, it will perform the display process according to the control information.

[0060] Control information is described using, for example, scripting languages ​​such as JavaScript (registered trademark), stylesheet languages ​​such as CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), programming languages ​​such as Java (registered trademark), or markup languages ​​such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language). Alternatively, a predetermined application distributed from the information processing device 100 may be considered as control information.

[0061] The information processing device 100 is operated and managed by a service provider that provides communication services via mobile messenger. The information processing device 100 functions as an online platform that enables information processing related to mobile messenger. The information processing device 100 can provide authenticated official accounts with the ability to create new alliances and join existing alliances.

[0062] The information processing device 100 is typically a server device, but it may also be implemented as a mainframe or workstation. Furthermore, if the information processing device 100 is implemented as a server device, it may be implemented as a single server device, or as a cloud system in which multiple server devices and multiple storage devices work together.

[0063] [3. Equipment configuration] Hereinafter, an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 100 in the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment will be described using Figure 6. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the information processing device 100 has a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

[0064] (Communications Department 110) The communication unit 110 is implemented, for example, by a communication module or a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication unit 110 is connected to the network N by wire or wireless connection. The information processing device 100 transmits and receives information with other devices, such as the operator's equipment 10, through the network N.

[0065] (Storage unit 120) The storage unit 120 stores, for example, programs and data used for control and calculations by the control unit 130. For example, the storage unit 120 can be implemented using semiconductor memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory, or storage devices such as hard disks or optical discs. For example, the storage unit 120 includes a business information storage unit 121, a cooperation information storage unit 122, and an alliance information storage unit 123. The storage unit 120 is not particularly limited to the example shown in Figure 6, and can appropriately store data necessary for executing information processing according to the embodiment, such as a database that stores user information for various online services. Search history for various online services may be obtained from other systems as needed.

[0066] (Business information storage unit 121) The business information storage unit 121 stores business information about business operator U, which is a user of the communication service via the messenger application. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an overview of the business information stored in the business information storage unit 121 according to this embodiment.

[0067] As shown in Figure 7, the business information stored in the business information storage unit 121 has multiple items, such as the "Business ID" item, the "Account Information" item, and the "Business Information" item. These items in the business information are interconnected.

[0068] The "Business ID" field stores identification information used to identify Business U within the communication service. The "Account Information" field stores information about the official account used by the business within the communication service. The "Business Information" field stores information such as Business U's industry, business type, and business locations.

[0069] (Linked information storage unit 122) The collaboration information storage unit 122 stores collaboration information in which communication services via the messenger application and multiple services other than the communication service are pre-linked. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an overview of the collaboration information stored in the collaboration information storage unit 122 according to this embodiment.

[0070] The linked information stored in the linked information storage unit 122 is composed of interconnected information about each user of the first service, which is a communication service, and information about each user of the second, third, fourth, and fifth services, which are not communication services. For example, as shown in Figure 8, the linked information stored in the linked information storage unit 122 is a collection of user IDs that are assigned to identify users in each of the following services: the communication service provided as the first service, EC (Electronic Commerce) provided as the second service, SNS (Social Networking Service) provided as the third service, the search portal provided as the fourth service, and the news site provided as the fifth service.

[0071] For example, a service user that provides a communication service through a messenger app collects user IDs other than those for the communication service, associating them with the user ID of the communication service user, and registers them in association with the user ID of the communication service. When the control unit 130 generates statistical information showing the trends of users who have added the official account as a friend, it can use the linkage information stored in the linkage information storage unit 122.

[0072] (Alliance Information Memory Unit 123) The alliance information storage unit 123 stores alliance information related to alliances in which official accounts are mutually linked in the communication service. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an overview of the alliance information stored in the alliance information storage unit 123 according to this embodiment.

[0073] As shown in Figure 9, the alliance information stored in the alliance information storage unit 123 has multiple fields, such as "Alliance ID," "Affiliated Company ID," and "Alliance Information." These fields in the alliance information are interconnected.

[0074] The "Alliance ID" field stores the Alliance ID, which is unique identification information assigned to each alliance to identify it. The "Affiliated Business ID" field stores the Business ID, which identifies the business that operates the official account participating in the alliance. The "Alliance Information" field stores information about the alliance.

[0075] Alliance information includes information indicating the alliance's name and information indicating the alliance's attributes. Alliance attributes include information indicating which businesses U (official accounts) belong to the alliance, information indicating the area where the businesses U belonging to the alliance are located, and information indicating the business category (industry, type of business, etc.) of the businesses U belonging to the alliance. Alliance attributes may be registered by the businesses U belonging to the alliance, or they may be estimated and set by a generating AI based on information about each business belonging to the alliance.

[0076] In this case, the generative AI is implemented using artificial intelligence (AI) such as GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer). GPT is a language model that can generate text using natural language processing techniques.

[0077] (Control unit 130) The control unit 130 is a controller, and is realized by the execution of various programs (an example of an "information processing program") stored in the memory device inside the information processing device 100 by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit), using RAM as the working area.

[0078] Furthermore, the control unit 130 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a GPGPU (General Purpose Graphic Processing Unit).

[0079] As shown in Figure 6, the control unit 130 has a registration unit 131 and a provision unit 132, and these units realize or execute the information processing functions and operations described below.

[0080] The control unit 130 may have multiple internally divided components that realize or execute the functions and operations of the information processing described below. Furthermore, the control unit 130 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 6, and may have other configurations as long as they perform the information processing described later, and may have other functional units other than those shown in Figure 6.

[0081] (Registration Section 131) The registration unit 131, in response to a request from business operator U, which operates an official account (an example of a "business account") that is a business account opened by business operator U on a mobile messenger application, associates multiple official accounts that cooperate as an alliance (an example of a "business consortium") with each other and registers them in the storage unit 120 (alliance information storage unit 123). For example, the registration unit 131 registers multiple official accounts that cooperate as an alliance, associating them with an alliance ID for identifying the alliance.

[0082] (Provider 132) The information provision unit 132 provides information to business operator U based on information related to business operator U, which belongs to the alliance.

[0083] For example, the provisioning unit 132 can select an alliance that matches the attributes of a new business operator based on the attributes of the alliance and the attributes of the new business operator that has newly opened an official account, and can send proposal information suggesting participation in the selected alliance to the business operator equipment 10 used by the new business operator via the communication unit 110. Specifically, if the location of the business operator UC that has newly opened an official account is "Shopping Street Z", the provisioning unit 132 can select an alliance to which business operator UA and business operator UB, which also have "Shopping Street Z" as an attribute, belong.

[0084] Furthermore, for example, the service provider 132 can provide new businesses that have newly opened an official account with functions to create new alliances and join existing alliances. For example, the service provider 132 can provide functions to create new alliances and join existing alliances as part of the functions of a messenger app or as part of a predetermined tool.

[0085] Furthermore, for example, the provision unit 132 can provide information based on the information disclosure scope information pre-set by the business operator U as the scope of information to be disclosed to other official accounts. For example, the provision unit 132 can provide business operator UA, which operates an official account, with an item setting screen for setting the scope of information to be disclosed. The provision unit 132 stores the information disclosure scope information set by business operator UA through the item setting screen in the storage unit 120, associating it with the business operator ID. Then, when the provision unit 132 discloses information about business operator UA to business operators UB and UC, which belong to the same alliance as business operator UA, it can determine the information to provide to business operators UB and UC based on the information disclosure scope information of business operator UA. For example, if business operator UA has set only the age group and gender of users who have added its official account as a friend (for example, user EUA, user EUB, user EUC, etc. shown in Figure 2) as the information disclosure scope, only the age group and gender information of business operators UB and UC can be provided.

[0086] Furthermore, the provision unit 132 provides information about the alliance to user EUAs of a mobile messenger application that can exchange messages with the official account, based on information related to the business operator U belonging to the alliance.

[0087] Furthermore, when the provision unit 132 receives a request from a user EUA to obtain information about alliances, it can estimate the degree of harmony between the alliance's attributes and the user's attributes, and select alliances with a high estimated degree of harmony as the target for information provision to the user EUA.

[0088] Specifically, the provisioning unit 132 can estimate that the degree of harmony between Alliance EX1 and the user EUA is high if the user EUA's place of residence is included within the area where Alliance EX1 is located. The information processing device 100 may estimate the degree of harmony using a trained model or based on a pre-configured rule base. The provisioning unit 132 then acquires information about official accounts belonging to the alliance (such as the name of the official account (e.g., store name) and the URL of the home screen) as alliance information, and provides the acquired alliance information to the user EUA by transmitting it to the user device 20A via the communication unit 110. For example, the provisioning unit 132 can provide the user EUA with an account list listing the official accounts included in the relevant alliance as alliance information.

[0089] Furthermore, when providing an account list to a user EUA, the provision unit 132 may estimate the degree of harmony between the attributes of the official accounts belonging to the account list and the attributes of the user EUA, and may rearrange and provide the list so that official accounts with attributes that have a high estimated degree of harmony are displayed preferentially. For example, if the user EUA's age is included in the age range of each user who has added the official account as a friend, the provision unit 132 can estimate that the degree of harmony between the attributes of the official account and the attributes of the user EUA is high. Also, for example, if the user EUA's place of residence is near the location of the business operator U that operates the official account, the provision unit 132 can estimate that the degree of harmony between the attributes of the official account and the attributes of the user EUA is high.

[0090] Furthermore, when the provision unit 132 receives a request from a user to obtain information about official accounts, it can select other official accounts of the alliance to which the official accounts the user has added as friends belong, but which the user has not added as friends, as the official accounts to be provided to the user.

[0091] Furthermore, when the provision unit 132 receives a request from the first official account to the second official account of the alliance to which the first official account belongs, through a predetermined screen where messages are exchanged between the user and the first official account, it can share information regarding the request with the second official account. In other words, the provision unit 132 supports mutual customer referrals between official accounts by linking user information regarding the provision of goods or services and other transaction items by official accounts belonging to the same alliance.

[0092] For example, let's assume that user EUA, who has added the official [Hotel LY] account as a friend, is exchanging messages with the official [Hotel LY] account through the chat screen W-1 (an example of a "designated screen," see Figure 3) of the official [Hotel LY] account. If, in the message exchange with the official [Hotel LY] account, user EUA requests, in accordance with a suggestion from [Hotel LY], to link their reservation and user information with [Sushi Restaurant Ikkyu], which belongs to the same alliance as the official [Hotel LY] account, the provision unit 132 can link to the operator U by transmitting information regarding the request on the chat screen W-1 to the operator device 10 of the operator U, which operates the official [Sushi Restaurant Ikkyu] account, via the communication unit 110.

[0093] [4. Processing procedure according to the embodiment] (4-1. Information Processing (Part 1) Processing Procedure) The following describes the processing procedure of information processing (part 1) performed by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment, using Figure 10. Figure 10 is a flowchart of an example of the processing procedure of information processing (part 1) performed by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. The processing procedure shown in Figure 10 is performed by the control unit 130 of the information processing device 100. The processing procedure shown in Figure 10 is repeatedly performed while the information processing device 100 is running.

[0094] As shown in Figure 10, when the registration unit 131 receives an alliance creation request from the operator U (step S101), it performs alliance registration (step S102). For example, the registration unit 131 receives an alliance creation request transmitted from the operator equipment 10 through the communication unit 110.

[0095] Once alliance registration is complete, the registration unit 131 notifies the business operator U, the source of the alliance creation request, of the completion of alliance registration (step S103), and terminates the processing procedure shown in Figure 10. For example, the registration unit 131 notifies the business operator U by sending the alliance registration completion notification to the business operator device 10 via the communication unit 110.

[0096] (4-2. Information Processing (Part 2) Processing Procedure) The following describes the processing procedure of information processing (part 2) performed by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment, using Figure 11. Figure 11 is a flowchart of an example of the processing procedure of information processing (part 2) performed by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. The processing procedure shown in Figure 11 is performed by the control unit 130 of the information processing device 100. The processing procedure shown in Figure 11 is repeatedly performed while the information processing device 100 is running.

[0097] As shown in Figure 11, the provisioning unit 132 acquires the attributes of the new business operator who has newly opened an official account (step S201).

[0098] Furthermore, the provisioning unit 132 selects an alliance from among the existing alliances that matches the attributes of the new business operator, based on the attributes of the existing alliances and the attributes of the new business operator (step S202).

[0099] Furthermore, the provisioning unit 132 provides the new business operator with proposal information suggesting participation in the selected alliance (step S203), and then completes the processing procedure shown in Figure 11. For example, the provisioning unit 132 provides the new business operator by transmitting the proposal information to the business operator device 10 via the communication unit 110.

[0100] (4-3. Information Processing (Part 3) Processing Procedure) The following describes the processing procedure of information processing (part 3) performed by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment, using Figure 12. Figure 12 is a flowchart of an example of the processing procedure of information processing (part 3) performed by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. The processing procedure shown in Figure 12 is performed by the control unit 130 of the information processing device 100. The processing procedure shown in Figure 12 is repeatedly performed while the information processing device 100 is running.

[0101] As shown in Figure 12, the provisioning unit 132 receives requests to acquire alliance information from users of the communication service via the messenger application (step S301). For example, the provisioning unit 132 receives requests to acquire alliance information transmitted from the user device 20 via the communication unit 110.

[0102] Furthermore, the provisioning unit 132 individually estimates the degree of harmony between the attributes of existing alliances and the attributes of the user who is requesting the acquisition of alliance information (step S302), and selects alliances with a high estimated degree of harmony (step S303).

[0103] Furthermore, the provisioning unit 132 acquires information on the selected alliance and provides the acquired alliance information to the user who requested the alliance information (step S304), thereby completing the processing procedure shown in Figure 12. For example, the provisioning unit 132 provides the alliance information to the user who requested the alliance information by transmitting it to the user device 20 via the communication unit 110.

[0104] [5. Hardware Configuration] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 according to the above embodiment can be implemented by a computer 1000 having a configuration such as that shown in Figure 13. Figure 13 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that implements the functions of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0105] Computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and has a configuration in which an arithmetic unit 1030, a primary storage device 1040, a secondary storage device 1050, an output interface 1060, an input interface 1070, and a network interface 1080 are connected by a bus 1090.

[0106] The arithmetic unit 1030 operates based on programs stored in the primary storage device 1040 and the secondary storage device 1050, as well as programs read from the input device 1020, and executes various processes. The primary storage device 1040 is a memory device, such as RAM, that temporarily stores data used by the arithmetic unit 1030 for various calculations. The secondary storage device 1050 is a storage device where data used by the arithmetic unit 1030 for various calculations and various databases are registered, and is implemented using ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD, flash memory, etc.

[0107] The output IF1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to output devices 1010, such as monitors and printers, and is implemented using connectors of standards such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), and HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface). The input IF1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020, such as mice, keyboards, and scanners, and is implemented using, for example, USB.

[0108] The input device 1020 may also be a device that reads information from, for example, an optical recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or PD (Phase Change Rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), tape media, magnetic recording media, or semiconductor memory. Furthermore, the input device 1020 may be an external storage medium such as a USB memory stick.

[0109] Network IF1080 receives data from other devices via network N and sends it to the arithmetic unit 1030, and also transmits data generated by the arithmetic unit 1030 to other devices via network N.

[0110] The arithmetic unit 1030 controls the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 via the output IF 1060 and the input IF 1070. For example, the arithmetic unit 1030 loads a program from the input device 1020 or the secondary storage device 1050 onto the primary storage device 1040 and executes the loaded program.

[0111] For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment, the arithmetic unit 1030 of the computer 1000 realizes the same functions as the control unit 130 by executing a program (for example, an information processing program) loaded on the primary storage device 1040. That is, the arithmetic unit 1030 realizes the processing by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment in cooperation with the program (for example, an information processing program) loaded on the primary storage device 1040.

[0112] [6. Others] In the above embodiment, the information processing device 100 may share user information between official accounts, subject to the consent of the user of the communication service (for example, a user EUA as shown in Figure 2).

[0113] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may deliver alliance advertisements related to the alliance through a messenger app. For example, the information processing device 100 may acquire alliance information stored in the alliance information storage unit 123, create a landing page from the acquired alliance information, and provide it through the messenger app. In addition, the information processing device 100 can select information to be included on the landing page not only from official account information, but also from all services connected to the alliance. For example, information that the information processing device 100 can select may include distribution information and usage instructions from official accounts, information on mini-apps provided by official accounts, reservation links through official accounts, and e-commerce inventory information.

[0114] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may target each user who has added an official account belonging to the alliance as a friend and deliver all advertisements from the official accounts belonging to the alliance.

[0115] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may deliver advertisements tailored to the situation of the user of the communication service (for example, the user EUA shown in Figure 2). For example, the delivery unit 132 may analyze the content of messages exchanged between the user and the official account, and based on the content of the analyzed messages, select advertisements from the official account with which the user is interacting, or advertisements related to other official accounts in the alliance to which the relevant official account belongs, according to the user's situation, and provide the selected advertisements to the user.

[0116] Furthermore, the service provider 132 may select and provide advertisements to users based on a series of actions taken by the user through multiple official accounts belonging to the same alliance, in accordance with the user's situation. For example, if the service provider 132 obtains information on the actions of a user who has used the official account of movie theater SH-1, which belongs to the shopping mall SM alliance, and subsequently used restaurant SH-2, it may provide advertisements regarding limited-time sales and coupon distributions of clothing brand SH-3, which also belongs to the shopping mall SM alliance.

[0117] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the information processing device 100 may calculate the degree of contribution by the alliance to each business operator based on the number of times a predetermined conversion has occurred from the alliance, and obtain a predetermined fee from each business operator based on the calculated degree of contribution.

[0118] For example, the information processing device 100 assumes that, through the provision of alliance information to which businesses UA, UB, and UC belong, business UA has gained 50 friend registrations, business UB has gained 30, and business UC has gained 20. In this case, the information processing device 100 calculates the alliance's contribution to business UA as 50%, to business UB as 30%, and to business UC as 20%. The information processing device 100 then calculates a commission for each business U by apportioning the advertising costs incurred in response to the provision of alliance information according to their respective contributions, and collects the calculated commission from each business U.

[0119] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may, for example, recognize a contribution from the referring business UA if, by delivering advertisements for business UB on the official account of business UA, a friend registration (a referral) occurs for business UB. In this case, the information processing device 100 may grant business UA a portion of the commission collected from business UB for the costs of delivering the advertisements, in proportion to the degree of business UA's contribution.

[0120] Of the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by known methods. In addition, the processing procedures, specific names, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed at will unless otherwise specified.

[0121] Furthermore, the components of each illustrated device are functionally conceptual and do not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific forms of distribution and integration of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions.

[0122] Furthermore, the embodiments described above can be combined as appropriate, provided that the processing content is not contradictory.

[0123] Although embodiments of the present application have been described in detail above with reference to several drawings, these are illustrative examples, and the present invention can be implemented in various other forms with modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, starting with the embodiments described in the disclosure section of the invention.

[0124] Furthermore, the terms "section, module, unit" mentioned above can be replaced with "means" or "circuit," etc. For example, a control unit can be replaced with a control means or a control circuit.

[0125] [7. Effects] The information processing device 100 according to this embodiment includes a registration unit 131 and a provision unit 132. The registration unit 131 registers multiple official accounts that cooperate with each other as an alliance (an example of a "business consortium") in response to a request from a business operator U that operates an official account (an example of a "business account") which is a business account opened on a mobile messenger application. The provision unit 132 provides information about the alliance to users of the mobile messenger application who can exchange messages with the official accounts, based on information related to business operator U belonging to the alliance.

[0126] Furthermore, the registration unit 131 registers multiple official accounts that will cooperate with each other as an alliance, associating them with an alliance ID (an example of "community identification information") used to identify the alliance.

[0127] Furthermore, when the provision unit 132 receives a request from a user to obtain information about alliances, it estimates the degree of harmony between the alliance's attributes and the user's attributes, and selects alliances with a high estimated degree of harmony as the target for information provision to the user.

[0128] Furthermore, when providing information about an alliance, the provision unit 132 estimates the degree of harmony between the attributes of the official accounts belonging to the alliance and the attributes of the user, and sorts and provides the information so that official accounts with attributes that have a high estimated degree of harmony are displayed preferentially.

[0129] Furthermore, when the provision unit 132 receives a request from a user to obtain information about official accounts, it selects other official accounts of the alliance to which the official accounts the user has added as friends belong, but which the user has not added as friends, as the official accounts to be provided information to the user.

[0130] Furthermore, when the service provider 132 receives a request from the user to the second official account of the alliance to which the first business account belongs, through a designated screen where messages are exchanged between the user and the first official account, it transmits information regarding the request to the second official account.

[0131] Therefore, the information processing device 100 according to this embodiment can provide alliance information and official account information to users of the communication service via the messenger app (for example, user EUA, etc.), and can also provide a seamless user experience in the communication service. In this way, the information processing device 100 can improve the usability of the mobile messenger.

[0132] Furthermore, the effects described above can also be achieved by any combination of the processes performed by each of the parts described above, or by any combination of the processes performed by each of the parts. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0133] SYS Information Processing System N Network 10 Terminal devices 100 Information Processing Devices 110 Communications Department 120 Storage section 121 Business information storage unit 122 Consultation History Storage Unit 123 Model Information Storage Unit 130 Control Unit 131 Reception Department 132 Selection Department 133 Provision Department 134 Connect Processing Unit

Claims

1. A registration unit that, in response to a request from a business operator that operates a business account, which is a business account established on a mobile messenger application, registers multiple such business accounts that cooperate with each other as a business consortium, and Based on information relating to the business operator belonging to the aforementioned business consortium, a provision unit provides information about the aforementioned business consortium to users of the mobile messenger application who are able to exchange messages with the business operator's account. An information processing device characterized by having the following features.

2. The aforementioned registration unit is Multiple business accounts that cooperate with each other as the business consortium are registered in association with the consortium identification information used to identify the aforementioned business consortium. The information processing apparatus according to feature 1.

3. The aforementioned supply unit is, When a request for information regarding the business consortium is received from the user, the degree of harmony between the attributes of the business consortium and the attributes of the user is estimated, and information on business consortia with a high estimated degree of harmony is selected as the target of information provision to the user. The information processing apparatus according to feature 2.

4. The aforementioned supply unit is, When providing a list of business accounts belonging to the business consortium as information about the business consortium, the degree of harmony between the attributes of the business accounts belonging to the business consortium and the attributes of the user is estimated, and the business accounts with attributes that have a high estimated degree of harmony are sorted and provided in a way that they are displayed preferentially. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The aforementioned supply unit is, When a request for information regarding the business account is received from the user, the business account to be provided to the user is selected as a business account that is not registered as a friend by the user, but is part of the same business community to which the business account that the user has added as a friend belongs. The information processing apparatus according to feature 2.

6. The aforementioned supply unit is, When the first business account receives a request from the second business account of the business consortium to which it belongs, through a predetermined screen where messages are exchanged between the user and the first business account, the information regarding the request is transmitted to the second business account. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

7. A method of information processing performed by a computer, A registration process in which, in response to a request from a business operator that operates a business account, which is a business account established on a mobile messenger application, multiple such business accounts that cooperate with each other as a business consortium are linked and registered; A provision process in which information relating to the business operator belonging to the business consortium is provided to users of the mobile messenger application who are able to exchange messages with the business operator's account, based on information relating to the business operator belonging to the business consortium. An information processing method characterized by including

8. On the computer, A registration procedure for registering multiple business accounts that interact with each other as a business consortium, in response to a request from a business operator that operates a business account, which is a business account opened on a mobile messenger application, and A provision procedure for providing information about the business consortium to users of the mobile messenger application who are able to exchange messages with the business account, based on information relating to the business operator belonging to the business consortium. An information processing program characterized by causing the execution of [a specific action].

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