Programs, methods, and systems

Abstract

The present invention provides a program, method, and system that allows a specific user to choose whether or not to notify other users when they enter a virtual space. [Solution] When a specific user enters a virtual space, and the user's settings are configured to notify other users, the system can execute a process to notify other users that the specific user has entered the virtual space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, a method, and a system.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a system that provides a virtual space to a user via a network and enables communication with other users in the virtual space (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] In fan activities (so-called oshi activities) to support a favorite support target (so-called oshi) such as a person or an object like a talent, for example, by checking posts from the talent himself / herself who is the support target on SNS or the like, or posts from accounts of agencies where the talent belongs, etc., it has become mainstream to collect the latest information of the support target (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2 and Non-Patent Document 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Document 2

Non-Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

[0005] In a virtual space like the one described in Non-Patent Document 1, if a specific user, such as a celebrity or other person supported by fans, enters the space, fans tend to follow suit and try to enter the same virtual space. Therefore, if information about a specific user's entry can be obtained as quickly as possible, fan activities can be more fulfilling.

[0006] However, even certain users may wish to keep their entry into the virtual space a secret. If fans are always notified of their entry, they may eventually hesitate to enter the virtual space, potentially hindering its activity.

[0007] This invention was conceived in view of the above circumstances and provides a program, method, and system that allows a specific user to choose whether or not to notify other users when that specific user enters a virtual space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) A program according to a certain aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer (e.g., a distribution server 100, a user terminal, etc.) to perform processing based on the status of a user's entry into a virtual space, Computers, A setting means that allows a specific user to configure whether or not to notify other users when that specific user enters the virtual space (for example, processing by the notification management unit 135 and the display control unit 353 to display the screen shown in Figure 9(B) on the user terminal), When the specified user enters the virtual space and the user's settings are configured to notify other users (for example, when the "Yes" icon 22Y is selected in Figure 9(B)), the notification means is activated to enable the execution of a process to notify other users that the specified user has entered the virtual space (for example, see steps S103 to S106 in Figure 12, and the modified example (regarding the selection of whether to notify other users)).

[0009] With this configuration, it is possible to set whether or not to notify other users when a specific user enters a room, taking into account the preferences and circumstances of that specific user, thereby improving the convenience for that specific user.

[0010] (2) In (1) above, the user is given an evaluation value that changes according to external evaluations, which are evaluations from people other than the user, The aforementioned specific users include users who meet predetermined conditions according to the evaluation value.

[0011] With this configuration, other users can be notified when a specific user who meets predetermined conditions according to their evaluation score enters the virtual space. This makes it easier for other users to obtain information about that specific user, thereby promoting the growth of the virtual space.

[0012] (3) In (2) above, the predetermined conditions include conditions that are satisfied by the evaluation value being a predetermined value (for example, as illustrated in Figure 7(A), the user attribute number being "2", "3", or "5", such as for talent or celebrity, and the evaluation index being a positive value).

[0013] With this configuration, when a user who meets a predetermined value enters the room, other users can be notified, making it easier to manage specific users who are subject to notification to other users.

[0014] (4) In (1) above, the specified user includes specified users predetermined by the operator who operates the virtual space (for example, talents and celebrities whose user attribute numbers in Figure 7(A) are "2", "3", "5", etc.).

[0015] With this configuration, the operator can notify other users when a specific user, predetermined by the operator, enters the virtual space. This makes it easier for other users to obtain information about that specific user, thereby promoting the growth of the virtual space.

[0016] (5) In (1) above, the state in which the specific user is configured to notify other users that he has entered the virtual space means that the specific user makes an selection operation to notify other users when he enters the virtual space (for example, making a selection operation for the "Yes" icon 22Y in Figure 9(B)), The notification means, triggered by the selection operation of the specific user to notify other users when entering the virtual space, performs processing to notify the other users that the specific user has entered the virtual space (see, for example, steps S103 and S104 in Figure 12, Figure 9(B), and the modified example (regarding the selection of whether to notify other users)).

[0017] With this configuration, a specific user can choose to notify other users of their entry into the virtual space, allowing that user to effectively notify others depending on the circumstances at the time of entry.

[0018] (6) In (1) above, other users who are notified that the specific user has entered the virtual space include users who are currently in the virtual space (for example, users whose entry status in Figure 7 is "in the virtual space").

[0019] According to such a configuration, since the entry of a specific user is notified to other users who have entered the virtual space, even if one has entered the virtual space, it is possible to avoid the situation of remaining unaware of the entry of the specific user.

[0020] (7) In the above (1), the other users to be notified of the entry of the specific user into the virtual space do not include the users who have entered the virtual space (for example, the users whose entry status in FIG. 7 is "entering"), but include the users who have not entered the virtual space (for example, the users whose entry status in FIG. 7 is "exiting") (see, for example, steps S105A and S105B in FIG. 13, (for the entry notification process 3 in the modified example), etc.).

[0021] According to such a configuration, since the entry of a specific user is not notified to the users who have entered the virtual space, it is possible to suppress the risk of disturbing the sense of immersion in the virtual space due to the notification.

[0022] (8) In the above (1), the virtual space includes a plurality of types of virtual spaces with different provided contents (for example, areas, rooms for each content, etc.). [[ID=!4]]The notification means performs a process for notifying other users every time the specific user enters any one of the plurality of types of virtual spaces (see, for example, (for the entry notification process) in the modified example).

[0023] According to such a configuration, other users can appropriately obtain the trends of a specific user within the virtual space, so it becomes easy for other users to obtain information about the specific user, and the prosperity of the virtual space can be promoted. <0z000c95>

[0024] (9) In (1) above, the notification that the specific user has entered the virtual space includes information that makes it possible to identify the virtual space that the specific user entered from among the multiple types of virtual spaces (for example, displaying information about the area that the specific user entered in the push notification in Figure 10(A), the content heading 40 in Figure 10(B), the content of the bulletin board object O in Figure 11, etc.).

[0025] With this configuration, it becomes possible to identify the virtual space that a specific user has entered, making it easier for other users to enter the same space later, thus promoting the growth of virtual spaces.

[0026] (10) In (1) above, even if the specified user enters the virtual space, if a predetermined time has not elapsed since the last entry into the virtual space, the notification means will not perform any processing to notify other users that the specified user has entered (see, for example, the modified example (regarding entry notification processing)).

[0027] This configuration avoids sending multiple notifications in a short period of time, thus suppressing the annoyance caused by excessive notifications.

[0028] (11) In the above (1), the computer is In response to an operation from the aforementioned user, the system functions as a storage means for each user to remember the specific users that the user has pre-selected from among the aforementioned specific users (for example, following users in a virtual space or selecting a favorite talent in a fan community app). The notification means performs a process to notify the user who has selected the specified user that the specified user has entered the virtual space, when the user who has entered the virtual space is the specified user (see, for example, Figure 10, Modified Example (for other examples of users to be notified to other users)).

[0029] This configuration allows information about specific users who have been selected in advance to be reported, thereby improving satisfaction with the reported information.

[0030] (12) A computer control method according to a certain aspect of the present invention is a method for causing a computer to perform processing based on the status of a user's entry into a virtual space, The steps include: a process to enable a specific user to configure whether or not to notify other users when that specific user enters the virtual space; The system includes the step of enabling a process to notify other users that a specific user has entered the virtual space when that specific user's settings are configured to notify other users.

[0031] With this configuration, it is possible to set whether or not to notify other users when a specific user enters a room, taking into account the preferences and circumstances of that specific user, thereby improving the convenience for that specific user.

[0032] (13) A system according to a certain aspect of the present invention is a system comprising a computer that performs processing based on the status of a user's entry into a virtual space, A setting means that performs processing to enable a specific user to configure whether or not to notify other users when that specific user enters the virtual space, The system includes notification means that, when a specific user enters the virtual space and the user's settings are configured to notify other users, enables the execution of a process to notify other users that the specific user has entered the virtual space.

[0033] With this configuration, it is possible to set whether or not to notify other users when a specific user enters a room, taking into account the preferences and circumstances of that specific user, thereby improving the convenience for that specific user. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0034] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an example of a communication system's hardware configuration. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the overall concept of the virtual space provided by the distribution server. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the distribution server. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the administrator terminal. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the user information media management server. [Figure 6] This diagram provides a detailed explanation of the configuration of user terminals (user terminals and distribution user terminals). [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of user information stored in the memory of a distribution server. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the relationship between the user rating index stored in the distribution server's memory and the server. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the screen of a user terminal when entering the virtual space in this embodiment. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of the notification screen configuration for the user terminal in this embodiment. [Figure 11] This figure shows another example of the notification screen configuration for the user terminal in this embodiment. [Figure 12] This diagram illustrates a flowchart of an example of the entry notification process of the distribution server in this embodiment. [Figure 13] This diagram illustrates a flowchart of an example of the entry notification process of a specific user information media management server in this embodiment. [Figure 14] This diagram illustrates a flowchart of another example of the entry notification process of the distribution server in this embodiment. [Figure 15] This diagram illustrates a flowchart of another example of the entry notification process of the distribution server in this embodiment. [Figure 16]This figure shows an example of the system configuration of the distribution server in this embodiment. [Figure 17] This figure shows an example of the system configuration of the distribution server in this embodiment. [Figure 18] This diagram illustrates a flowchart of an example of the virtual space provision server enhancement process in this embodiment. [Figure 19] This diagram illustrates a flowchart of an example of the data distribution volume fluctuation processing in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0035] The following is an overview of the present invention. In this embodiment, the virtual space (metaverse space) is used by multiple users. These multiple users can be broadly divided into specific users (also called special users) and other users. Specific users include, for example, celebrities and famous people. Celebrities and famous people may have fans. Therefore, for fans, if they can quickly obtain information that a celebrity has entered the virtual space and then follow them into the same virtual space, their fan activities will be more fulfilling. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to notify other users when a specific user enters the virtual space. This will make the fan activities of fan users who support specific users more fulfilling.

[0036] Furthermore, when a specific user enters the virtual space, it is likely that the number of other users entering will increase. Therefore, the load on the distribution server that provides the virtual space to users may increase due to the specific user's entry behavior. In this embodiment, it is possible to pre-configure the resources of the server providing the virtual space based on whether a specific user has entered the virtual space (including logging in). Additionally, it is possible to reduce the amount of information distributed from the distribution server providing the virtual space to the user's terminal based on whether a specific user has entered the virtual space. By performing these processes to adjust server resources and reduce the amount of information, the distribution server can withstand the expected increase in load caused by a specific user entering the virtual space. In this way, by taking pre-configured load countermeasures for the distribution server, it becomes possible to smoothly process the entry of users who attempt to enter the virtual space following a specific user, as well as the distribution process, thereby improving user satisfaction.

[0037] Embodiments of the communication system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples, and is intended to be included in the present invention as indicated by the claims, with all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims being included. In the following description, the same elements in the drawings will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will not be repeated.

[0038] Figure 1 shows an example of the hardware configuration of communication system 1. Communication system 1 includes a distribution server 100, an administrator terminal 200, multiple user terminals 300a, 300b, 300c..., multiple distribution user terminals 400a, 400b, 400c..., and a specific user information media management server 500. Multiple user terminals 300a, 300b, 300c... are terminals owned by each of the multiple users, and will collectively be referred to as user terminals 300 below. Multiple distribution user terminals 400a, 400b, 400c... are terminals owned by each of the multiple distribution users who are users capable of proactively distributing content, and will collectively be referred to as distribution user terminals 400 below. Furthermore, since both user terminals 300 and distribution user terminals 400 are used by users, they will collectively be referred to as user terminals below.

[0039] The distribution server 100, administrator terminal 200, user terminal 300, distribution user terminal 400, and specific user information media management server 500 are each capable of communication and bidirectional transmission and reception of information (data) via network 2. Network 2 is, for example, the internet and consists of access networks such as LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), mobile communication networks (e.g., 5G, wireless networks, etc.), wired telephone networks, FTTH (Fiber To The Home), and CATV (Cable Television) networks.

[0040] The distribution server 100 is, for example, a computer such as a workstation or personal computer with communication capabilities. The distribution server 100 manages multiple virtual spaces (also known as metaverse spaces), which are virtual worlds built on the computer, and provides services (content) using the virtual space selected by the user via the network 2.

[0041] In this embodiment, users can participate in a virtual space provided by the distribution server 100 in response to operations on their user terminal, and can perform activities, take actions, make statements, etc., through their user character. Users in this embodiment include general consumers, talents, celebrities, etc. Talents include famous people from various genres, such as talents, entertainers, actors / actresses, comedians, multi-talented individuals, presenters, news anchors, singers, musicians, models, and other influencers belonging to the service provider company (operating company). Celebrities also include famous people from various genres, such as well-known company executives or employees, athletes, e-sports players, famous scholars / cultural figures / cram school instructors, and famous students. In some cases, influencers may be identified and processed based on the number of followers of the follow function in the virtual space provided by the distribution server 100.

[0042] The content provided using the virtual space is managed and configured according to the type of content. Available content includes, but is not limited to, content that allows users to view and experience games, live performances, events, and programs, as well as content that facilitates interaction and communication between users using chat and emotes. Users can access the distribution server 100 using user terminals 300 or distribution user terminals 400, select the desired content, and seamlessly participate in (navigate) that content, allowing them to view and experience the virtual space corresponding to that content.

[0043] The virtual space includes, depending on the type of content, a three-dimensional space (a space constructed based on three-dimensional data) generated by CG (Computer Graphics) and a two-dimensional space (a space constructed based on two-dimensional data). The virtual space also contains virtual characters (avatar objects), objects representing backgrounds and virtual objects according to the type of content, and menu objects that the user can select. The virtual characters placed in the virtual space include user characters that are pre-configured for each user participating in the virtual space and can operate in response to user operations, as well as non-player characters that operate according to a program.

[0044] Examples of objects placed in a virtual space include, in the case of game content, field objects corresponding to the game field, item objects corresponding to the game, character objects corresponding to the game, and user characters of users playing the game content (hereinafter also referred to as user avatars). In the case of live content, for example, stage objects, audience objects, and lighting objects are placed, and user characters of the performers conducting the live show are placed on the stage object, and user characters of participating users are placed on the audience objects. In the case of content that facilitates communication, for example, user characters of each of the multiple participating users and item objects that can be used for communication are placed. In addition, a space resembling a city may be provided, and not limited to those that enable communication between users, objects such as signs and bulletin boards can also be placed to allow users to obtain and view information inside and outside the virtual space.

[0045] The distribution server 100 stores in the storage unit 120 information for displaying images in multiple virtual spaces corresponding to the content that can be distributed on the user terminal, as well as sound information for outputting sound. In response to access from the user terminal, the distribution server 100 provides content (services) to the user by distributing content data that includes display information for displaying images in the virtual space of the corresponding content and sound information for outputting sound.

[0046] Content data includes, for example, information to identify objects placed in the virtual space (e.g., object type, placement location, orientation, posture, and appearance), information to identify each user character of a user participating in the virtual space (e.g., user character type, placement location, orientation, posture, appearance, motion data, and audio data), objects representing backgrounds and virtual objects according to the content type, and menu objects selected by the user. The amount of display information related to objects and user characters can be increased or decreased by the data distribution unit 132 of the distribution server 100, or by arbitrary setting operations performed by the user at the user terminal. Increasing or decreasing the amount of display information may include, for example, increasing or decreasing the number of user avatars that can be displayed in the virtual space, increasing or decreasing the number of objects, or increasing or decreasing the image resolution.

[0047] Objects in the virtual space change their posture, position, and facial expressions in response to operations from the user terminal, and their appearance changes over time. Therefore, by distributing content data at predetermined intervals (for example, every 0.016 seconds at approximately 60 fps), the user terminal can display images in the virtual space that are constantly changing. The content data distributed at predetermined intervals may also be distributed in response to the distribution server 100 receiving synchronization signals sent from the user terminal, and the timing of the predetermined intervals may be adjusted according to the load on the distribution server 100. For example, as the load increases, the number of synchronizations per second may be reduced in stages from 6 to 3, then to 1, etc. The distribution server 100 may also send information (request information) to the user terminal so that the user terminal can perform processing to reduce the frequency of synchronization signals being sent, and even if the user terminal requests content data, the interval between responses from the distribution server 100 to the request may lengthen as the load increases.

[0048] Furthermore, the distribution server 100 manages programs and data that enable users to progress through (play) content such as live events or games on their terminals. For example, when a user selects game content, the distribution server 100 distributes programs and data to provide services using the virtual space of that game content to the user's terminal. Note that the timing of distribution of programs and data for progressing through content from the distribution server 100 is not limited to when the user selects content; it may also occur when the user logs into the distribution server 100 or when predetermined achievement conditions are met.

[0049] The administrator terminal 200 is used by the operator of the service provider company. The administrator terminal 200 is, for example, a computer with operation input functions and communication functions, such as a personal computer. The operator uses the administrator terminal 200 to create, build, modify, and update content and images in the virtual space managed by the storage unit 120 of the distribution server 100. For example, this includes generating and building new content and images in the virtual space, and changing and modifying existing content and images in the virtual space. The operator also uses the administrator terminal 200 to set and update information managed by the storage unit 120 of the distribution server 100. For example, this includes setting and updating evaluation indices (evaluation values) and attributes (e.g., attribute type, attribute number) associated with each user of user information managed by the storage unit 120 of the distribution server 100. The administrator terminal 200 may also create, build, modify, and update content managed by the storage unit 520 of the specific user information media management server 500. The operator, via the administrator terminal 200, configures and updates information managed in the storage unit 520 of the specific user information media management server 500.

[0050] The specific user information media management server 500 is, for example, a computer such as a workstation or personal computer with communication capabilities. The specific user information media is a fan community application related to a specific user (e.g., a talent) or a website where information about a specific user can be viewed. The operator (subject) of the specific user information media may be the same as the operator or operator of the distribution server 100 or administrator terminal 200, or it may be a different entity. The specific user information media management server 500 may, for example, manage multiple pieces of content that can be made available to users and manage the communities to which the content is provided. The specific user information media management server 500 provides the content via network 2 in response to requests from users.

[0051] The content provided by the specific user information media management server 500 is managed and configured for each type. This content informs viewers of predetermined information and includes the content of information such as video, audio, and text. The predetermined information includes information about a specific user. Information about a specific user managed by the specific user information media management server 500 includes, for example, news and announcement articles by the operator (administrator), user posts, posted information such as distributed videos related to the specific user provided by external web services obtained using Web APIs, schedule information for distributed videos related to the specific user, and information on the specific user's activity, including information on the specific user's entry and exit from the virtual space. This content can be provided to users by displaying it on their terminals via media such as a web browser or a dedicated application for a smartphone.

[0052] The specific user information media management server 500 stores in the storage unit 520 information for displaying text, images, and other content on the user terminal, as well as sound information for outputting sound, depending on the content available to the user. The distribution server 100 provides content (services) to the user by distributing content data, including display information for displaying text, images, and other content, and sound information for outputting sound, in response to access from the user terminal.

[0053] In this embodiment, the distribution server 100, the administrator terminal 200, and the specific user information media management server 500 are each represented as independent computers (devices). However, they may be implemented by a single computer, or the functions of one of these computers (for example, the distribution server 100 or the specific user information media management server 500) may be implemented by multiple computers (for example, multiple servers).

[0054] The user terminal 300 is used by users to view, experience, etc., the content. The user terminal 300 may be a computer with operation input functions and communication functions, such as a personal computer, tablet terminal, or smartphone. The user terminal 300 may also have a motion capture function to capture the user's movements, similar to the distribution user terminal 400 described later.

[0055] The user terminal 300 communicates with the distribution server 100 and the specific user information media management server 500 in response to operations performed on the terminal, and receives content data of the content selected by the user. Based on the content data received from the distribution server 100, the user terminal 300 constructs a virtual space of the content selected by the user from among the virtual spaces constructed on the distribution server 100 within the memory area of ​​the user terminal 300, and displays images and outputs sound within that virtual space. This makes it possible to view and experience the virtual space of the content via the user terminal 300.

[0056] Furthermore, the user terminal 300 constructs information about content selected by the user from the content managed by the specific user information media management server 500 (for example, articles or schedule information) based on content data received from the specific user information media management server 500, and displays the image and text of that content. This makes it possible for the user to identify and recognize content information (including information about a specific user) via the user terminal 300.

[0057] Furthermore, the user terminal 300 accepts operations on the displayed virtual space and objects, as well as operations such as selecting various icons, selecting content, and inputting text. The user terminal 300 transmits information corresponding to the operations on the terminal to the distribution server 100, allowing the user's user character to move and operate within the virtual space of the content in which they are participating. As mentioned above, based on the content data transmitted from the distribution server 100 at predetermined intervals, the movement of the user character can be reflected (synchronized) in the virtual space of each user terminal 300 of users participating in the same content.

[0058] Furthermore, while enabling users to view and experience the virtual space of the content, the user terminal 300 can also post comments, including arbitrary messages, as an example of actions taken in the virtual space of the content it is participating in, in response to operations performed on the terminal. By posting comments, these comments can be reflected on each user terminal 300 so that users participating in the content can see them.

[0059] Furthermore, the user terminal 300 stores the program and data distributed from the distribution server 100 when content is selected by the user, and based on that program and data, displays a virtual space corresponding to the selected content and makes it possible to proceed with (play) that content. For example, if area Y, a space modeled after a city, is selected by the user on the title screen, the user terminal 300 receives and stores data including a program for displaying area Y, and based on that data, the space of area Y is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300. Also, if a predetermined game content is selected within the virtual space of any area (or the area itself may be a space that provides game content), the user terminal 300 receives and stores data including a program for playing that game content, and makes the game content playable.

[0060] The distribution user terminal 400 is used by distribution users who are capable of distributing content. In addition to operation input functions and communication functions, the distribution user terminal 400 has a motion capture function that captures the movements of the distribution user (for example, an HMD (Head-Mounted Device), an imaging device equipped with an imaging device that captures the user and analyzes the user's movements from the captured images). The HMD is worn on the user's head, and the user, holding a controller that can communicate with the HMD, can interact with the displayed virtual space or virtual character by moving their head or hands, or by operating buttons on the controller.

[0061] The distribution user terminal 400 acquires motion information to identify the distribution user's head or hand movements and controller operations, as well as audio information to identify the distribution user's voice, and transmits these to the distribution server 100, thereby reflecting the movements and voice of the distribution user's user character in the virtual space in which the distribution user is participating. This allows the distribution user's user character to operate in the virtual space as if it were an avatar of the distribution user. As mentioned above, based on the content data transmitted from the distribution server 100 at predetermined intervals, the movements and voice of the distribution user's user character in the virtual space can be reflected (synchronized) on each user terminal of users (including the distribution user) participating in the virtual space.

[0062] Furthermore, a streaming user may be a regular user (simply a viewer or participant) who views and experiences the streamed content using a terminal with the same configuration as the streaming user terminal 400 as the user terminal 300, or they may be a regular user using a separate terminal with a different configuration than the streaming user terminal 400 as the user terminal 300. The streaming user terminal 400 and the user terminal 300 may be terminals with the same configuration or terminals with different configurations. In addition, a streaming user may participate in the virtual space in the capacity of a content streamer, or in the capacity of a regular user (simply a viewer or participant) rather than a streamer. For this reason, streaming users are included in the category of users. A streaming user can select or change their role at predetermined times (for example, when logging in, starting content distribution, or displaying the streaming user's user character in the distributed content).

[0063] <Overall view of the virtual space> Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the overall concept of the virtual space provided by System 1 of this embodiment. The virtual space ER of this embodiment includes multiple types of spatial area ER (spatial area ER1, spatial area ER2, etc.). Each spatial area ER can provide content of different genres and types. The multiple types of spatial area ER are areas selected from the title screen displayed after the user logs into the virtual space ER, and areas corresponding to various types of content are provided, such as entrances, live venues, game content, and exhibition halls. For example, an event venue where live content is held is constructed in the entirety of a predetermined spatial area ER, or in a part of a predetermined spatial area ER.

[0064] Each spatial area ER has multiple rooms that offer the same content. Each room has a maximum capacity, for example, up to 200 people. Each room is managed by, for example, a real-time synchronization server. Users in the same room can see each other's user avatars and communicate with each other. For example, they can play games together or chat. For example, if spatial area ER1 is a space modeled after a city, then rooms ER1a, ER1b, etc., corresponding to spatial area ER1 will provide users with the same city-like space, but the avatars that can be displayed within the space are limited to the user avatars of users associated with the same room. For example, user avatar 1 of a user associated with room ER1a will not be displayed on the user screen of a user associated with room ER1b. However, as an exception, the user avatars of special users (for example, talents) can be displayed not only in the room they are actually in, but also in other rooms.

[0065] Movement between spatial areas ER may be restricted to users who first log into the virtual space and then pass through a designated spatial area ER that provides specific content (e.g., the entrance), or it may be possible to move freely between them. For example, movement from spatial area ER2 to spatial area ER3 may be restricted to spatial area ER1, or direct movement between spatial area ER2 and spatial area ER3 may be possible without passing through spatial area ER1. Furthermore, a transition animation may be performed when moving between spatial areas ER. For example, when moving to another spatial area ER, the display screen may dim (for example, a black screen with a message such as "Loading...") before switching. In addition, user access to each spatial area ER may be restricted to users who first enter the entrance area after logging in, or users may be able to choose and enter their preferred spatial area ER without passing through the entrance area, or users may transition to a spatial area ER randomly determined by a lottery. Each room may either be one that users choose and enter, or one that is randomly assigned through a lottery. Hereafter, the virtual space ER will also be referred to simply as the virtual space.

[0066] In this embodiment, entering the virtual space includes logging into the virtual space and entering a room.

[0067] <Configuration of the distribution server> Next, the configuration of the distribution server 100 will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the distribution server 100 includes a communication unit 110 that communicates with other computers, a storage unit 120 that stores various data, and a control unit 130 that controls the entire computer. The communication unit 110, the storage unit 120, and the control unit 130 are interconnected by a bus line. Alternatively, each function may be defined as a server (container) on a virtualized server and executed as if it were a server.

[0068] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface equipped with a NIC (Network Interface Card controller) for wired or wireless communication. The communication unit 110 communicates with other computers via network 2. For example, it functions as an interface to allow other computers to obtain some of the information stored in the storage unit 120 (e.g., entry / exit status of virtual spaces for each user, evaluation index, attribute number, etc.).

[0069] The memory unit 120 consists of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. The memory unit 120 stores programs for executing various control processes (for example, programs for managing and providing content using virtual space), various data, etc. The various data stored in the memory unit 120 include information for identifying images in the virtual space, which are provided for each type of content, and user information 121 about the user. For example, object data 122 is included as information for identifying images in the virtual space.

[0070] The control unit 130 consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the distribution server 100 and performs various calculations by executing programs stored in the memory unit 120.

[0071] The functional configuration of the control unit 130 is described below. The control unit 130 functions as at least a content management unit 131, a data distribution unit 132, a user management unit 133, an access control unit 134, a notification management unit 135, and a scale management unit 136. Various functions may be operated by separate servers, or multiple functions may be executed on a single server (for example, a virtual server).

[0072] The content management unit 131 stores and updates information in the storage unit 120 for identifying images in the virtual space corresponding to the content set by the administrator terminal 200, via the communication unit 110. For example, the content management unit 131 stores in the storage unit 120 information for identifying the type of content set by the administrator terminal 200, information for identifying images in the virtual space for each piece of content, and information for identifying the date and time of distribution for content such as live streams and programs that are distributed at predetermined times. The information for identifying images in the virtual space also includes information about objects placed in the virtual space and user characters corresponding to users participating in the virtual space. The information for identifying the type of content includes information for identifying areas in the virtual space that can be provided to users and information about events that will be held.

[0073] Furthermore, the content management unit 131, via the communication unit 110, processes the provision and association of content and rooms to the user in response to requests from the user terminal. For example, in response to a request from the user terminal 300 to acquire content information, the content management unit 131 transmits information to the user terminal that identifies the content information available to the user. This information may include, for example, information related to the virtual space area or room. Based on this content information, the display unit of the user terminal 300 can display areas X to Z and the rooms corresponding to each area on the title screen exemplified in Figure 9(C). The content management unit 131 processes the provision and storage of the area and room ID selected by the user as user information 121.

[0074] The data distribution unit 132 distributes content data to the accessing user terminal at predetermined intervals for displaying images within the virtual space of the content selected on each terminal, which is managed by the content management unit 131. The data distribution unit 132 also performs information volume adjustment processing to change the resolution of the texture of the images displayed on the user terminal, increase or decrease the number of objects that can be displayed, or change the number of synchronizations with the user terminal, in response to manual operation by the operator from the administrator terminal 200 or when pre-set conditions are met. For example, when the server load becomes heavy and the computer resource usage rate exceeds a predetermined threshold (for example, when a certain threshold is exceeded by referring to the current metrics or the metrics for the past few times), or when conditions set in anticipation of a heavy server load are met (for example, when a specific user logs in), the data distribution unit 132 performs processing to reduce (mitigate) the amount of information (data volume) required to display and output the virtual space that can be distributed to the user terminal via the communication unit 110.

[0075] Processing to reduce the amount of information sent to the user terminal by the data distribution unit 132 includes reducing the amount of information itself that is sent from the data distribution unit 132 to the user terminal before distribution, reducing the number of times the data distribution unit 132 synchronizes with the user terminal, or sending a signal from the data distribution unit 132 to the user terminal that instructs the user terminal to reduce the amount of information it requests from the distribution server 100. For example, if the virtual space becomes congested and the load becomes heavy due to an increase in the number of users entering the virtual space, congestion information can be sent to the user terminal. When the user terminal receives this congestion information, it is configured to reduce the amount of information it requests from the distribution server 100 (for example, by a program stored in the user terminal's memory), so that the amount of information distributed in response to the user terminal's request can be reduced. For example, the amount of information itself, such as image resolution, can be reduced, or the number of times the user terminal sends a signal requesting synchronization to the distribution server 100 can be reduced, thereby reducing the overall amount of information distributed to the user terminal. Furthermore, congestion information may refer to congestion information sent when the entire virtual space becomes congested, or it may refer to congestion information sent when the room in which a user is present becomes congested (reaching the room's maximum capacity or reaching a predetermined number of people before reaching the maximum capacity).

[0076] The user management unit 133 stores and updates user information about users in the storage unit 120. For example, user information is stored in the database as user information 121. User information about users includes, for example, an ID to identify the user, a username, an evaluation index and attribute number for each user, and information on each user's entry and exit status in the virtual space. The evaluation index and attribute number may be values ​​predetermined by the operator, and may also fluctuate depending on the user's behavior, the number of followers on social media or in the virtual space, etc. Information on each user's entry and exit status in the virtual space includes login and logout information for the virtual space, and entry and exit information that identifies the area and room the user is in. For example, it can identify that the user is in room ID 001, which is provided for area X. The unit also acquires the user's activity history in the virtual space and stores it in the storage unit 120. Activity history includes, for example, location information in the virtual space and participation history of content (participation history of events). The user management unit 133 can calculate the degree of relationship with other users (for example, the degree of closeness or the amount of tips given to other users) based on the user's activity history, and perform actions such as associating them with other users.

[0077] The access control unit 134 processes user entry and exit to the virtual space in response to access from the user terminal via the communication unit 110. User entry detected by the access control unit 134 includes logging into the virtual space and entering a room within the virtual space after logging in. For example, this includes a function to detect user login by the login authentication API server and a function to manage user room entry and exit information by the user authentication unit of the real-time synchronization server. The login authentication API server may also authenticate that a user has logged in when the distribution server 100 receives information that the user has successfully logged in by another authentication system (e.g., a single sign-on system). When the access control unit 134 detects user entry into the virtual space (including login), the control unit 130 may perform processing related to changing server settings or notifying other users.

[0078] When the access control unit 134 detects that a user has entered (logged into) the virtual space, the notification management unit 135 sends a notification via the communication unit 110 to other users, including the operator, so that they are notified that the user has entered the virtual space if the user who entered is a specific user who meets predetermined conditions. Furthermore, if the user terminal allows the user to choose whether or not to notify other users of their entry, and the user chooses not to notify other users (i.e., the user does not choose to notify other users), the notification management unit 135 controls the system so that other users are not notified even if a specific user who meets predetermined conditions enters the virtual space.

[0079] The notification methods transmitted via the communication unit 110 include, for example, notification to an administrator terminal 200 operated by the operator, notification to a user terminal via a notification function (such as a push notification) of an application for displaying a virtual space provided by the distribution server 100 or a community application managed by the specific user information media management server 500, or notification to other users by making information regarding the entry status (for example, as information about a specific user) available for download in response to a user's request (viewing request). By making information regarding the entry status available for download in response to a user's request (viewing request), for example, the entry status of a specific user can be displayed on a web page (which may also be a designated page within an application) that can display a list of users' entry statuses, by using an API to allow other computers to obtain the information, and the information can be displayed when it becomes available, or the entry status of a user can be displayed on a bulletin board object or the like that in the virtual space where the user's entry status can be checked.

[0080] A viewing request is a request from a user terminal to the distribution server 100 or the specific user information media management server 500 for information to be displayed on the user terminal, such as a web page (or a designated page within an application (e.g., a community application)) or a designated image in the virtual space (e.g., information displayed on a bulletin board object). For example, a viewing request is made (sent) from the user terminal to the server by accessing a designated web page, selecting a designated icon within an application, or selecting a designated object in the virtual space (or moving to a designated location). In addition, the storage unit 120 may be updated and stored so that information regarding the user's room entry status can be downloaded upon the user's request. For example, it may be updated as information for a specific user. In the following, regardless of whether a viewing request has been made by the user, notifications sent spontaneously from the server to the user (e.g., push notifications) may also be referred to as notifications.

[0081] The scale management unit 136 performs resource scaling on the distribution server 100. Resource scaling includes scaling out, which increases the number of servers by horizontally scaling resources; scaling up, which improves the CPU and memory performance of servers by vertically scaling resources; scaling in, which reduces the number of servers; and scaling down, which decreases server performance. Resource scaling is performed manually by the operator from the administrator terminal 200 or when pre-set conditions are met. For example, resource scaling is performed when the computer resource utilization rate exceeds a predetermined threshold due to heavy server load (for example, when the threshold is exceeded by referring to the current metrics or the metrics for the past few times), or when conditions set in anticipation of heavy server load are met (for example, when a specific user logs in).

[0082] Furthermore, resource scaling may be configured to increase the number of rooms when the maximum number of users in a room (the number of users that can be associated with one room) is reached due to user entry (for example, when the maximum number of users is reached, or when a predetermined number of users just before reaching the maximum number is reached). For example, if one room is defined per server, the number of servers may be increased, or multiple rooms may be defined per server, and the processing performance of each server may be increased to create a resource state that can handle the increase in rooms. In addition, the distribution server 100 may be configured to perform load balancing processing as needed in conjunction with scaling.

[0083] The servers managed by the scale management unit 136 include, for example, a login authentication API server that functions as an access control unit 134, a lobby API server that functions as a content management unit 131 that allows users to obtain information such as a list of areas and rooms, or servers corresponding to rooms. Note that there may be one room per server, or multiple rooms may be defined for each server.

[0084] <Administrator terminal configuration> Next, the configuration of the administrator terminal 200 will be described. As shown in Figure 4, the administrator terminal 200 includes a communication unit 210 for communicating with other computers, a storage unit 220 for storing various data, an input unit 230 for inputting operations, an output unit 240 for outputting images, sound, etc., and a control unit 250 for controlling the entire computer. The communication unit 210, storage unit 220, input unit 230, output unit 240, and control unit 250 are interconnected by a bus line.

[0085] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface equipped with a NIC for wired or wireless communication. The communication unit 210 communicates mainly with the distribution server 100 and the specific user information media management server 500 via the network 2. The storage unit 220 consists of RAM, ROM, etc. The storage unit 220 stores programs for executing various control processes (for example, programs for managing content using virtual space), various data, etc.

[0086] The input unit 230 includes an input device (e.g., a touch panel, touchpad, mouse or other pointing device, keyboard, etc.) for receiving input operations from the administrator. The output unit 240 includes an output device (display, speaker, etc.) for presenting information to the administrator.

[0087] The control unit 250 consists of a CPU and other components. The control unit 250 controls the overall operation of the administrator terminal 200 by executing programs stored in the memory unit 220.

[0088] The functional configuration of the control unit 250 is described below. The control unit 250 functions as at least a content setting unit 251, a user setting unit 252, and a distribution server management unit 253.

[0089] The content setting unit 251 stores and updates information about content and virtual spaces managed by the content management unit 131 of the distribution server 100 in response to operations on the administrator terminal 200. This allows the storage unit 120 to store and update information such as information for identifying content, information for identifying images within the virtual space for each piece of content, and information for identifying the date and time of distribution. Furthermore, the information that the content setting unit 251 can store and update in the storage unit 120 can be set for each area and room.

[0090] Furthermore, the content setting unit 251 stores and updates information about content managed by the content management unit 531 of the specific user information media management server 500 in response to operations on the administrator terminal 200. This allows, for example, information for setting and identifying content (e.g., articles or trend information related to a specific user) to be stored and updated in the storage unit 520.

[0091] The user settings unit 252 sets user information for users managed by the user management unit 134 of the distribution server 100 and the user management unit 533 of the specific user information media management server 500, in response to operations on the administrator terminal 200. Setting user information includes, for example, setting an evaluation index for each user. Setting an evaluation index includes setting an evaluation index for each user as shown in Figure 7 later, setting the criteria for calculating the evaluation index, and setting attribute numbers and types for each user. For example, an operator operating the administrator terminal 200 can assign or change attribute numbers in advance to specific users so that they can distinguish between general users and specific users who are different from general users. Specific users are, for example, talents or celebrities. For example, a talent who is the target of support in a fan community app is considered a specific user, and fan users who support specific users in the community are considered general users.

[0092] The distribution server management unit 253 processes settings related to the scaling of the distribution server 100 and settings related to the amount of information distributed from the distribution server 100 to user terminals. For example, it stores and updates programs in the storage unit 120 for resource increase / decrease processing (scaling) performed by the scale management unit 136, and for information volume change processing that increases or decreases the resolution and the number of objects for displaying the virtual space distributed by the data distribution unit 132 of the distribution server 100. In addition, it stores and updates conditions for specific users that are included in the conditions for changing the information volume change processing and scaling settings of the distribution server 100 in the storage unit 120.

[0093] <Configuration of the user information media management server> Next, the configuration of the specific user information media management server 500 will be described. As shown in Figure 5, the specific user information media management server 500 includes a communication unit 510 that communicates with other computers, a storage unit 520 that stores various data, and a control unit 530 that controls the entire computer. The communication unit 510, the storage unit 520, and the control unit 530 are interconnected by a bus line. Alternatively, each function may be defined as a server (container) on a virtualized server and executed as if it were a server.

[0094] The communication unit 510 is a communication interface equipped with a NIC (Network Interface Card controller) for wired or wireless communication. The communication unit 510 communicates with other computers via network 2.

[0095] The storage unit 520 consists of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. The storage unit 520 stores programs for executing various control processes (for example, programs for managing and providing content), various data, etc. The various data stored in the storage unit 520 include posting information and trend information provided for each type of content, and user information about users. The user information includes the user ID in the specific user information medium, attribute numbers for each user, evaluation index, information for identifying specific users that the user has pre-selected (also called their favorite) for each user, and the user ID of the user information 122 stored in the storage unit 120 of the distribution server 100. For example, based on the user information stored in the storage unit 520, the user ID in the distribution server 100 can be associated with the user ID in the specific user information medium management server 500 for the same user. Furthermore, the user ID used in the distribution server 100 and the user ID used in the specific user information media management server 500 may be the same.

[0096] The control unit 530 consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The control unit 530 controls the overall operation of the specific user information media management server 500 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 520.

[0097] The functional configuration of the control unit 530 is described below. The control unit 530 functions as at least a content management unit 531, a data transmission / reception unit 532, a user management unit 533, and an entry / exit status acquisition and management unit 534.

[0098] The content management unit 531 stores and updates information in the storage unit 520 to identify text, images, etc., corresponding to content posted by the administrator terminal 200 or user terminals, via the communication unit 510. The content management unit 531 stores information in the storage unit 520 that can be associated with the content provided to the user (for example, the group to which a particular user belongs, or the particular user themselves). The content management unit 531 stores and updates information in the storage unit 520 to identify information such as the category of content posted by the administrator terminal 200 or user terminal, the poster, and attributes associated with each piece of content.

[0099] The data transmission / reception unit 532 receives various information transmitted from the user terminal via the communication unit 510 and transmits (distributes) various information to the user terminal. The data transmission / reception unit 532 distributes information to the user terminal by referring to various management tables stored in the storage unit 520. Alternatively, it distributes data stored on other computers so that it can be viewed on the user terminal as a result of calling an API via the communication unit 510 by the entry / exit status acquisition unit 534, etc. The various information transmitted and received by the data transmission / reception unit 532 includes, for example, information about content managed by the content management unit 531, various notification information, and information based on user information 122 stored in the storage unit 120 of the distribution server 100. Transmission of various information includes, for example, push notifications (including desktop notifications), in-app notifications, or, in response to a request from the user terminal, distribution of information about a specific user, such as entry / exit information to a virtual space provided by the distribution server 100 for a specific user. Push notifications, etc., may be sent only if the user terminal has given prior permission (set to ON).

[0100] The entry / exit status acquisition management unit 534 acquires information on users who have entered the virtual space provided by the distribution server 100 via the communication unit 510, and ensures that information on a specific user's entry and exit from the virtual space is distributed to the user terminal by the data transmission / reception unit 532. The user information may be received from the distribution server 100 and stored in the storage unit 520 of the specific user information media management server 500, or the result of calling the API for user entry and exit status of the distribution server 100 may be obtained. Furthermore, based on the user information acquired by the entry / exit status acquisition management unit 534 and the user information stored in the storage unit 520 of the specific user information media management server 500 (including information for determining a specific user), if a specific user has entered the virtual space, the data transmission / reception unit 532 can notify the user terminal that the specific user has entered the virtual space.

[0101] <User terminal configuration> Next, the configuration of the user terminals (user terminal 300 and distribution user terminal 400) will be described in detail. As shown in Figure 6, the user terminal includes a communication unit 310 that communicates with other computers, including the distribution server 100; a storage unit 320 that stores various data; an input unit 330 for inputting operations, etc.; an output unit 340 for outputting images, etc.; and a control unit 350 that controls the entire computer. The communication unit 310, storage unit 320, input unit 330, output unit 340, and control unit 350 are interconnected by bus lines.

[0102] The communication unit 310 is a communication interface equipped with a NIC for wired or wireless communication. The communication unit 310 communicates with other computers, including the distribution server 100 and the specific user information media management server 500, via the network 2. The storage unit 320 consists of RAM, ROM, etc. The storage unit 320 stores programs for executing various control processes (for example, programs for viewing content using a virtual space, and in the case of distribution user terminals, programs for distributing content using a virtual space via the distribution server 100), various data, etc.

[0103] The input unit 330 includes an input device (e.g., a touch panel, touchpad, pointing device such as a mouse, keyboard, microphone, etc.) for receiving user input and voice input. The distribution user terminal 400 is equipped with an input device such as an HMD with motion capture functionality and includes a motion input unit as the input unit 330 that acquires the user's movements as motion information. Thus, the distribution user terminal 400 used by the distribution user for content distribution has different hardware and functions from the user terminal 300 used by the general user to participate. User operation in this embodiment refers to operations from the user to these input units 330. For example, this includes touch operations on the touch panel, slide operations, flick operations, button operations, drag (swipe) operations, operations on icons displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 300, operations on pointing devices and keyboards, and voice input to the microphone.

[0104] The output unit 340 includes output devices (such as a display unit, speaker, etc.) for presenting and outputting information (text, images, audio, etc.) to the user. The control unit 350 consists of a CPU, etc. The control unit 350 controls the overall operation of the user terminal 300 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 320.

[0105] The functional configuration of the control unit 350 is described below. The control unit 350 functions as an information acquisition unit 351, a virtual camera control unit 352, a display control unit 353, an audio output control unit 354, and an input information transmission unit 355.

[0106] The information acquisition unit 351 acquires content data and comment information from the distribution server 100 via the communication unit 310, and stores information in the storage unit 320 for displaying images in a virtual space where various objects are placed based on the content data, and also stores information in the storage unit 320 for displaying posted comments based on the comment information. In addition, it acquires content data from the specific user information media management server 500 and stores information in the storage unit 320 for displaying text and images (posting information, trend information, etc.) related to the content based on the content data.

[0107] The virtual camera control unit 352 is located within the virtual space stored in the memory unit 320 and controls a virtual camera that identifies the area (field of view) of the image within the virtual space to be displayed on the user terminal 300. The virtual camera control unit 352 controls the position, orientation, tilt, etc. of the virtual camera in response to operations on the input unit 330.

[0108] The display control unit 353 displays images on the display unit (such as a display) that correspond to the field of view area, which is the view from the virtual camera, within the virtual space stored in the storage unit 320, based on the content data acquired by the information acquisition unit 351. In other words, by changing the position, orientation, and tilt of the virtual camera located in the virtual space in response to operations on the input unit 330, the user can view images within the field of view area of ​​the virtual camera displayed on the user terminal 300. Furthermore, the image data displayed by the display control unit 353 can have its resolution and the amount of object data displayed changed by user-defined settings on the input unit 330. In addition, based on the content data acquired by the information acquisition unit 351 from the specific user information media management server 500, content information (for example, the headline of the content article) related to the content stored in the storage unit 320 is displayed in a way that allows the user to identify it. For example, by displaying a headline such as the distribution schedule of a specific user, such as a talent, on the user terminal 300, the user can recognize that it is content related to the talent's distribution schedule.

[0109] In this embodiment, information for displaying images in a virtual space based on content data is stored in the storage unit 320, a virtual camera is placed in the virtual space stored in the storage unit 320, and the field of view displayed on the user terminal 300 is changed by controlling the virtual camera. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, for example, the user's virtual camera may be placed in the virtual space stored in the storage unit 120 of the distribution server 100, the virtual camera control unit 352 may control the virtual camera to change the field of view of the virtual camera, and data for identifying images within the field of view may be received and displayed on the user terminal 300.

[0110] Furthermore, the display control unit 353 displays the posted comment history stored in the storage unit 320 on the display unit (display, etc.) based on the comment information acquired by the information acquisition unit 351. The audio output control unit 354 outputs audio from the audio output unit (speaker, etc.) based on the content data acquired by the information acquisition unit 351.

[0111] Furthermore, the display control unit 353 displays a UI (User Interface) image (for example, a menu image that the user can select and an operation image that accepts operations) in a manner appropriate to the content being distributed based on the program stored in the storage unit 320. In this embodiment, different UI images may be displayed for the user terminal 300 used to participate as a general user and for the distribution user terminal 400 used by the distribution user for content distribution. For example, a UI image for posting comments may be displayed on the user terminal 300 (during program execution for viewing / experiencing) but not on the distribution user terminal 400 (during program execution for content distribution), which primarily communicates by voice. Also, since the necessary menu items differ between viewing / experiencing and content distribution, the UI images for selecting menus may differ between the user terminal 300 (during program execution for viewing / experiencing) and the distribution user terminal 400 (during program execution for content distribution).

[0112] The input information transmission unit 355 transmits audio information and operation input information acquired by the input unit 330 to the distribution server 100. The operation input information includes various types of information, such as the user's entry and exit information from the virtual space, and operation information to identify operations on objects within the displayed virtual space and user characters placed within the virtual space (for example, motion information acquired by the motion input unit 260 (HMD, etc.)). The user's entry and exit information from the virtual space includes the user's login information (login request to the virtual space), logout information, and information such as movement between areas and rooms in each virtual space.

[0113] <Overview of the relationship between specific users and server processing> In this embodiment, the distribution server 100 performs an entry notification process to inform other users that a specific user has entered the virtual space when that user enters the virtual space. The distribution server 100 also performs a setting change process to change the resource settings of the distribution server 100 (also called the virtual space provisioning unit) and the amount of information provided for the virtual space to be distributed to user terminals when a specific user enters the virtual space.

[0114] <Regarding user types in the virtual space> (Example of a data table for users) Referring to Figure 7, the users to whom the virtual space is provided in this embodiment, and specific users who may influence the actions of other users, will be described. Figure 7(A) is an example of a data table for users stored in the user information 121 of the distribution server 100. Each user is associated with a "User ID" (u1, u2, u3, etc.), a "User Attribute Number," an "Evaluation Index," and an "Entry Status." In this embodiment, the distribution server 100 determines whether a user is a specific user based on the user's "User Attribute Number" or "Evaluation Index," and then performs configuration change processing on the distribution server 100 and processing to notify other users of the entry information.

[0115] The "Entry Status" is associated with each user's entry status into the virtual space. For example, if a user is logged into the virtual space, it is associated with "Entry," and if they are logged out, it is associated with "Exit." In addition, it may also be associated with which room the user is currently in (area, room ID, etc.).

[0116] Figure 7(B) is a diagram illustrating an example of the types of "user attribute numbers." A "user attribute" is an identification ID used to categorize users according to their attribute type. For example, a regular user is assigned user attribute number "1." If a user is a talent, they can be further categorized by the group to which they belong. Talents belonging to Group A are assigned user attribute number "2," and talents belonging to Group B are assigned user attribute number "3." Operators who manage and operate the virtual space are assigned user attribute number "4." Other prominent figures, such as those considered to have influence in the virtual space, are assigned user attribute number "5." These attribute type items are managed, for example, on the administrator terminal 200, and can be added or modified as needed by the operator operating the administrator terminal 200. Depending on the user's attribute type, special privileges may be granted within the virtual space.

[0117] In this embodiment, the specific user is a user whose user attribute type is "Talent" or "Celebrity." Users who are "Talent" or "Celebrity" are assigned user attribute numbers "2," "3," or "5." Therefore, when a user associated with user attribute numbers "2," "3," or "5" enters the virtual space, it is considered that the specific user has entered the virtual space.

[0118] For example, in Figure 7(A), user IDs "u1", "u5", and "u6" have attribute number "1" and attribute type is general user, so they are not considered specific users. User ID "u4" has attribute number "4" and attribute type is operator, so it is not considered a specific user. On the other hand, user IDs "u2" and "u7" have attribute number "2" and attribute type is talent of group A, so they are considered specific users. User IDs "u3" and "u8" have attribute number "3" and attribute type is talent of group B, so they are considered specific users. User ID "u10" has attribute number "5" and attribute type is celebrity, so it is considered a specific user.

[0119] Figure 7(C) shows an example of a numerical value used to set the "evaluation index." The evaluation index is a value that fluctuates according to external evaluations, which are evaluations from people other than the user themselves. For example, the value may be predetermined by the operator, or it may be a value corresponding to the number of followers on a social networking service (SNS) other than the virtual space, or a mutual follow function may be provided within the virtual space (metaverse space) in this embodiment, and the value may be corresponding to the number of followers in the metaverse space. For example, if game content is provided within the virtual space, a follow function for the game content may be provided, and this may be the number of game followers within the virtual space. The number of followers can be a value that indicates popularity, such as the number of people who have added something to their favorites. Users with a number of followers above a predetermined number are treated as specific users (influencers, etc.) who have influence over other users. For example, different processing may be performed depending on the number of followers themselves.

[0120] Alternatively, the "evaluation index" can be a value calculated using a predetermined formula based on a predetermined indicator of popularity, such as the number of followers. For example, an evaluation index may be determined using a predetermined calculation formula based on the number of followers, and users who achieve a positive value using this formula may be considered as specific users. The predetermined calculation formula could be, for example, "[Number of followers - 1,000,000] ÷ predetermined value = evaluation index (the first decimal place may be rounded up)," but is not limited to this.

[0121] The evaluation index in Figure 7(A) is an example of a case where an evaluation index is determined using a predetermined calculation formula for a value that serves as an indicator of popularity. User IDs "u1", "u4", and "u5" are not considered specific users because their evaluation index is negative. User IDs "u2", "u3", etc., are considered specific users because their evaluation index is a positive value. Here, even if a user is not considered a specific user based on either the user attribute number or the evaluation index, if they are considered a specific user based on either, the distribution server 100 will treat them as a specific user and process them accordingly. For example, user ID "u6" is a general user with user attribute number "1", but because of its high popularity in the metaverse, its evaluation index is a positive value, and it is treated as a specific user and processed accordingly.

[0122] (Relationship between evaluation index and server capacity expansion) In this embodiment, the configuration change processing of the distribution server 100 can be configured to execute different processes for each specific user. Figure 8 shows an example of the number of servers added according to the evaluation index when scaling out is performed as the configuration change processing of the distribution server 100, increasing the number of servers in response to a specific user entering the virtual space. As shown in Figure 8, there are multiple types of servers with different processing capabilities. There are normal servers, high-spec servers with higher performance than normal servers, and top-spec servers with even higher performance than high-spec servers. The number of servers added is predetermined according to the evaluation index. For example, if user ID "u2" in Figure 7(A) logs in, the evaluation index is 5, so one normal server and one high-spec server are added. If user ID "u7" logs in, the evaluation index is 20, so five high-spec servers and four top-spec servers are added. When scaling up is performed as the configuration change processing, the scaling-up stage in which the resource performance (CPU and memory specifications) is increased may differ according to the evaluation index of each user.

[0123] Furthermore, resource amounts (number of servers, or CPU and memory values) may be defined for each attribute number. In this case, the setting change process is performed according to the predetermined resource amounts for each attribute number. For example, if a user's attribute number is "2", the number of servers may be increased by 5, and if it is "5", the number of servers may be increased by 3, and so on. Also, even for the same attribute type, multiple attribute numbers may be set up depending on the amount of resources to be changed. For example, even if the type is the same "Talent of Group A" as illustrated in Figure 7(B), attribute numbers such as "2", "6", and "7" may be set up according to the number of servers to be increased, and if a talent of Group A with attribute number "2" joins, the number of servers may be increased by 3, if a talent of Group A with attribute number "6" joins, the number of servers may be increased by 5, and if a talent of Group A with attribute number "7" joins, the number of servers may be increased by 10.

[0124] <Example of display screen on a user terminal> Referring to Figures 9 to 11, an example of the user terminal display screen in this embodiment will be explained. Figure 9 is an example of the screen displayed on the user terminal when entering the virtual space. Figure 9(A) is the login screen after launching an application, etc., for displaying the virtual space provided by the distribution server 100. Applications, etc., for displaying the virtual space include web applications that run on a web browser, desktop applications, smartphone applications, etc. Hereinafter, these may also be referred to as applications or various applications. When the START icon 21 in Figure 9(A) is selected, login request information is sent from the user terminal to the distribution server 100. If the user who sent the login request information is a specific user, the distribution server 100 determines that the user who requested the login is a specific user based on the login request information, and processes are performed to display the screen in Figure 9(B).

[0125] Figure 9(B) shows a screen where the user can choose whether or not to notify other users of their login. For example, by selecting the "Yes" icon 22Y or the "No" icon 22N, which are displayed with the message "Do you want to notify others that you have logged in?", notification permission information is sent to the distribution server 100. For example, if the "Yes" icon 22Y is selected, the notification management unit 135 processes the information to notify other users that the user has logged in. If the "No" icon 22N is selected, even if the user logs into the virtual space, the notification management unit 135 prevents other users from being notified of the login based on the notification permission information.

[0126] Figure 9(C) shows an example of a title screen displayed after login authentication to the virtual space has been completed. On the user terminal screen of a user whose login authentication to the virtual space has been completed by the entry / exit processing unit 134, an area list corresponding to each content available from the content management unit 131 is displayed. The title screen displays an area bar 23, a room icon display area 24, a room list display icon 25, an update icon 26, a room ID input area 27, and the like.

[0127] Area bar 23 is displayed by the content management unit 131 to indicate the areas (content) currently available to the user. In Figure 9(C), area bars 23a to 23c indicate that areas X to Z are available, respectively.

[0128] The room icon display area 24 is an area that displays icons for rooms that can be accessed from the various available areas shown by the area bar 23. By selecting a room icon displayed in the various room icon display areas 24, the user can enter the room, and the respective areas will be provided within that room. In Figure 9(C), the room icon display area 24a for the room where area X is provided, the room icon display area 24b for the room where area Y is provided, and the room icon display area 24c for the room where area Z is provided are displayed. In this way, the user can enter each room by selecting the room icon of the desired room.

[0129] Furthermore, each room icon displayed in the room icon display area 24 may display a room ID, and may be displayed in a manner that allows users to recognize the status such as "comfortable," "crowded," or "full" depending on the level of user congestion (for example, the number of users who have entered the room). The status of specific users, followed users, and friends (whether they are in the room or not) may also be displayed. For example, users may recognize the congestion status through changes in text information, face icons (a smiling face for comfortable, a sad face for crowded, etc.), or color patterns. In addition, the status of specific users, followed users, and friends may be displayed in a manner that allows users to identify who they are, or alternatively, or in addition to this, icons indicating that friends are in the room may be displayed without being shown until someone can be identified.

[0130] In Figure 9(C), the room icon display area 24a where rooms in Area X are displayed shows Room ID 001, Room ID 002, and Room ID 003. The congestion status of Room ID 001 is "Comfortable," but the congestion status of Room ID 002 is "Crowded." Comfortable means there is room to fill up to the maximum number of people, crowded means there is not much room to fill up to the maximum number of people (for example, there are 10 people left to reach the maximum number of people), and full means the maximum number of people has been reached and no new users can enter the room.

[0131] Furthermore, selecting a room icon may display a confirmation pop-up screen before entering the room, for example, with a message such as "Do you want to enter the room?", allowing the user to choose to enter or cancel. For example, the room icon display area 24 may only display the room ID, while other information such as congestion information is displayed on the pop-up screen.

[0132] The Room List Display Icon 25 is an icon that, when selected, displays all the icons for rooms that can be entered into the various available areas displayed by the Area Bar 23. Even if there are rooms that are not displayed in the Room Icon Display Area 24, all rooms can be displayed. For example, even if there are 6 rooms that are available in Area X, but the number of rooms displayed on one screen is reduced due to the layout of the display screen (for example, to reduce the number of rooms displayed and increase the area displayed on one screen), or if the display priority of rooms that are full and cannot be entered or are crowded is lowered, and rooms with comfortable congestion are prioritized and displayed in the Room Icon Display Area 24, all rooms can be displayed. In Figure 9(C), the Room List Display Icons 25a to 25c are displayed to correspond to the Area Bars 23a to 23c.

[0133] The update icon 26 is an icon that, when selected, sends a request to the distribution server 100 to re-retrieve the list of areas and rooms that can be entered, thereby updating (reloading) the title screen. This updates, for example, the rooms displayed in the room icon display area 24.

[0134] The Room ID input area 27 is a search area that displays rooms by directly entering and specifying the Room ID. For example, if a user knows the ID of a room their friend is in, they can directly enter the Room ID into the Room ID input area 27 to specify the room and attempt to enter it. For example, entering the Room ID could also display a confirmation pop-up screen that appears before entering a room when a room icon is selected.

[0135] Figure 10 shows an example of a user terminal display screen, specifically an example of a push notification screen from an app downloaded to the user terminal and a display screen for a designated page within the app. While a smartphone screen is used as an example, screens from other computer devices may also be used. An app downloaded to the user terminal refers to an app that enables the provision of a virtual space by the distribution server 100 to the user terminal (an app that allows entry into the virtual space upon opening), or an app managed by the specific user information media management server 500. The following explanation will describe an example where Talent BBB corresponds to the talent with user ID "u2" in Figure 7(A).

[0136] Figure 10(A) shows an example screen when a push notification is sent to a user's terminal informing them that a specific user has entered a room. The push notification screen 30 displays a message such as "BBB-chan has logged into the metaverse!", notifying the user that the talent BBB-chan has logged into the virtual space. The push notification screen may also display the area and room ID that the specific user entered (for example, "BBB-chan has entered room ID 0001!"). Furthermore, users may be able to turn push notifications on or off. Therefore, if a user has turned off push notifications (does not allow them), the push notification screen will not be displayed on the user's terminal.

[0137] Figure 10(B) is an example of the display screen of a fan community app for a talent that is provided to a user by the specific user information media management server 500, and in which talent BBB is included as a supported talent. Figure 10(B) is a page on which information about a specific user can be viewed. For example, it is a page on which the schedule of a talent can be viewed, and the past (most recent, etc.), current, and future distributions and trends of the talent's video distributions can be viewed. The page on which the schedule of a talent can be viewed displays a period selection area 41, a group selection area 42, a date and time display 43, a content heading 40, an account 48, related talents 44, a favorite filter 45, etc. Also, a schedule icon 18 and a notification icon 15 are displayed at the bottom of the screen. In this community app, the talent schedule screen may be displayed by selecting the schedule icon 18, etc. Also, by selecting the notification icon 15, a list of push notifications shown in Figure 10(A) may be displayed.

[0138] The "Oshi Filter 45" is an icon that, in a fan community, allows users to select and save their favorite talents in advance (for example, in memory unit 520 or memory unit 320). When a selection operation is performed, it will filter and display only the information of the previously selected favorite talent (Oshi).

[0139] The time period selection area 41 displays icons for time periods such as "Past," "Present," and "Upcoming Schedule." Selecting the "Past" icon will display, for example, the talent's most recent video streaming history and their virtual space entry history (logout history). Selecting the "Present" icon will display information such as currently streaming videos and the current virtual space entry status. Selecting "Upcoming Schedule" will display upcoming streaming and virtual space entry plans. Note that the schedule of events (such as live performances) within the virtual space related to a specific user may also be displayed, as may the areas and room IDs that a specific user has entered. For example, if the "Present" icon is selected, information about live events currently being held in the virtual space featuring the talent will be displayed.

[0140] The group selection area 42 displays icons that, when selected, show information for each group, for example, if a talent can be categorized by the group they belong to. The content heading 40 divides the display area for each piece of content (such as streaming or virtual space entry information). The account 48 displayed within the content heading 40 displays icons such as the video streaming channel account or the user account in the virtual space. The related talent 44 displayed within the content heading 40 displays talents related to the content displayed within each content heading 40, associating them with the content heading 40. For example, icons of talents appearing in the streaming video (e.g., collaborators) or icons of talents who have entered the virtual space are displayed. In this way, related talents are associated with each piece of content, so by selecting the favorite filter 45, it is possible to filter and display only content to which the pre-selected talents are associated as related talents. Related talents are automatically associated, for example, when posting content or creating the content heading 40, based on the poster's actions or information obtained via the API.

[0141] Furthermore, in the push notification example shown in Figure 10(A), push notifications may be configured to only send information about the entry of preferred talents that the user has pre-selected and saved. The information used to identify a specific user (talent) that the user has pre-selected and saved is stored in the storage unit 520 of the specific user information media management server 500. The specific user information media management server 500 distributes information that identifies the user that the user has pre-selected (information that identifies whether or not the user has been selected) to each user, along with information that includes information about other specific users. When the user terminal receives the information distributed from the specific user information media management server 500 and processes it to extract the pre-selected specific user, it becomes possible to display information about the pre-selected user (such as information about preferred talents extracted when the favorite filter 45 is turned on).

[0142] In Figure 10(B), the "Current" icon is selected in the period selection area 41, group A is selected in the group selection area 42, and the favorite filter 45 is turned on. Therefore, information about the current group A, where the talent that the user has previously selected and saved is associated as a related talent, is extracted and displayed. For example, Figure 10(B) is an example screen for a user who has previously selected and saved talent BBB as a favorite talent, so content heading 40a, which displays the content of the streaming video associated with talent BBB, and content heading 40b, which is information about entering the virtual space with talent BBB, are displayed. It is also possible to transition to another screen by selecting, for example, the image part of each content heading 40. For example, when the image of content heading 40a is selected, it is possible to transition to the streaming video (such as video streaming on an external web service), and when the image of content heading 40b is selected, it is possible to transition to the virtual space. For example, the virtual space application may be launched and a login screen may appear, or it may be possible to transition to the room that the talent is in. Furthermore, when a talent logs out, information indicating the logout may be displayed not in the current tab, but in the history information, which is shown via a past icon that allows users to view past information, along with their past streaming history. Alternatively, the display itself may be removed from the list. In other words, content heading 40 itself may be deleted.

[0143] Figure 11 is an example of an image of the virtual space provided by the distribution server 100 displayed on the user terminal. For example, it is an example of a screen displayed when a desktop application, smartphone application, or web browser is launched. Figure 11 is a display image of a room corresponding to spatial area ER1 where the entrance space (entrance content) is provided. In this entrance, a bulletin board object O is displayed, which allows users to view information within the virtual space (metaverse). Based on the information stored in the storage unit 120, the bulletin board object O displays information about a specific user, event information, various other news, breaking news, etc. As an example of information about a specific user, the name of the specific user who entered (logged in, etc.) the virtual space, the time, and information about the area entered are displayed.

[0144] The bulletin board object O in Figure 11 displays breaking news and current event information. The breaking news includes a message at 10:00 saying, "BBB-chan has logged into the metaverse!" and a message at 10:01 saying, "BBB-chan has entered area Y!". This shows that a specific user, the talent BBB-chan, has logged into the virtual space and which area of ​​the virtual space she has entered. In addition, as an example of information about special user actions within the virtual space, the breaking news at 8:15 says, "P-san has climbed onto the stage in area Y!", and the current event information says, "A mini-live is currently taking place in area Z!".

[0145] Users who have entered the room are displayed as user avatars U, and by manipulating user avatars U, they can move around the virtual space and change their viewpoint. The image of the virtual space may be an overhead view of user avatars U, as illustrated in Figure 11, or it may not display the user avatar U that the user is operating, but rather an image from the viewpoint of the user avatar U. In addition, by bringing the user avatar U close to the bulletin board object O and selecting the bulletin board object O, the images on the bulletin board may be displayed as a large pop-up on the user terminal screen, or displayed across the entire screen.

[0146] This allows users to access information about a specific user by, for example, navigating to a location within the virtual space, such as a bulletin board, and obtaining the bulletin board's display information from the distribution server 100. In other words, information about a specific user can be obtained at the user's request. Furthermore, even on pages that display information (such as schedules) about the talent being supported by a fan community app, such as Figure 10(B), if a user meets certain conditions (for example, a celebrity in Figure 7(B)), information about the entry of a non-talent user and their actions within the virtual space may be displayed.

[0147] Furthermore, information about a specific user is not limited to being displayed as an image in the virtual space; it may also be provided as a notification within the app, as shown in the in-app notification bar 50 in Figure 11. The in-app notification bar 50 displays the message "BBB-chan has logged into the metaverse!" as a notification. The information in the in-app notification bar 50 and the information that BBB-chan has logged in within the bulletin board object O becomes displayable when the login authentication process for BBB-chan (for example, a specific user of user "u2") is performed by the entry / exit processing unit 134, and the notification management unit 135 then distributes the information.

[0148] <Regarding entry notification processing> The following describes the notification process for informing other users that a specific user has logged into the virtual space provided to the user by the distribution server 100, with reference to Figures 12 to 15, etc. In this embodiment, the manner in which information about a specific user (e.g., a talent) is notified includes receiving a push notification about the specific user, or the user terminal receiving and displaying response information delivered (sent) to a server that makes information about a specific user available to the user in response to a viewing request from the user terminal (a request signal is sent from the user terminal). The server that makes information about a specific user available to the user includes, for example, a server that manages a smartphone application related to a specific user, a server that manages a website that displays information about a specific user (specific user information media management server 500), or the distribution server 100 that provides the virtual space to which the specific user has logged in. The specific user information media management server 500 (such as a server that manages smartphone applications or a server that manages websites) obtains information on whether a specific user is logged into the virtual space by using an access status API that allows the server to retrieve user access status (for example, the user information data table in Figure 7(A)) stored in the storage unit 120 of the distribution server 100 via the communication unit 110.

[0149] (Entry notification process 1) The entry notification process 1 is a process that notifies other users of information that a specific user has entered (logged into) the virtual space (for example, by sending a push notification or displaying the entry information on the user's terminal in response to a user's request to view it). The entry notification process 1 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 12. The entry notification process 1 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals by the control unit 130 in the distribution server 100 when a user logs into the virtual space. The distribution server 100 performs various processes, including the entry notification process 1, based on the program stored in the storage unit 120. An example of determining whether or not it is a specific user based on the user attribute number in Figure 7(A) will be described.

[0150] First, in step S101, it is determined whether or not a user has logged into the virtual space. If it is determined that no user has logged in, the process proceeds to step S107. On the other hand, if it is determined that a user has logged in, the process proceeds to step S102, where it is determined whether or not the logged-in user is a specific user. For example, the access control unit 134 (for example, the login authentication device 101, which will be described later with reference to Figure 16) determines whether or not the logged-in user is a specific user when it performs login authentication processing based on a user's login request. A user's login request is sent to the distribution server 100 by selecting the START icon 21 in Figure 9(A). For example, if the logged-in user is user ID "u1" in Figure 7(A), it is a general user with user attribute number 1, so it is not determined to be a specific user. On the other hand, if the logged-in user is user ID "u2", it is a talent of group A with user attribute number 2, so it is determined to be a specific user. If it is not determined in step S102 that the user is a specific user, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0151] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the user is a specific user, the process proceeds to step S103. In step S103, display information for displaying a selection screen to show whether or not to notify other users that the user has logged in is distributed (sent) to the user terminal of the specific user who logged in. At this time, the distribution server 100 performs processing to display the post-login title screen illustrated in Figure 9(C) on the user terminal of the logged-in user. For example, if the logged-in user is the specific user with user ID "u2", the control unit 130 sends display information for displaying the selection screen shown in Figure 9(B) on the user terminal of "u2" to the user terminal of the specific user who logged in. As a result, the specific user "u2" can select either the "yes" icon 22Y or the "no" icon 22N in Figure 9(B) to choose whether or not to notify other users that the user has logged in. If either the "yes" icon 22Y or the "no" icon 22N is selected, notification permission information is sent to the distribution server 100.

[0152] In step S104, it is determined, based on the notification permission information sent from the user terminal of the specific user, whether or not permission has been granted for the login of the specific user who was determined to have logged in in steps S101 and S102. If permission has not been granted, the process proceeds to step S107. For example, if the specific user logs in by selecting the "No" icon 22N on the screen illustrated in Figure 9(B), the notification management unit 135 (for example, the notification device 104, which will be described later with reference to Figure 16) restricts the process of notifying that the specific user has logged in, based on the received notification permission information.

[0153] On the other hand, if permission is determined to have been granted in step S104, the process proceeds to step S105, where notification information is distributed to the user terminal to inform it that the specific user has logged in. The destinations to which the notification information is distributed from the distribution server 100 are the user terminal and the specific user information media management server 500. For example, on the screen in Figure 9(B), when the user selects the "Yes" icon 22Y and logs in, the notification management unit 135 determines that permission has been granted to notify other users based on the notification permission information it has received. When the notification information is distributed from the distribution server 100, the user terminal receives a push notification, such as the one exemplified in Figure 10(A), or an in-app notification, such as the one exemplified in the in-app notification 50 in Figure 11, based on the information received from the distribution server 100.

[0154] Furthermore, notifications may also be sent to the administrator terminal 200, and even if a specific user has not permitted other users to be notified, the administrator terminal 200 may still be notified. For example, even if the "No" icon 22N is selected on the screen in Figure 9(B), notifications may not be sent to other user terminals, but the administrator terminal 200 operated by the operator may be notified.

[0155] In step S106, the user access status information is updated so that information indicating that the specific user who was determined to be permitted to be notified in step S104 has logged in becomes viewable as information about the specific user in response to a user request (viewing request). For example, the notification management unit 135 updates the user access status and stores it in the storage unit 120 (which may also be user information 121). As a result, other servers that acquire user access status via the user access status API (for example, the specific user information media management server 500) can acquire the information that the specific user logged in in steps S101 to S104, and the fact that the specific user, including the specific user in steps S101 to S104, has logged in will be displayed in the application shown in Figure 10(B) and in web browsers that display information about the specific user. Furthermore, by updating the access status, it becomes possible to display information about the specific user within the virtual space, and it is possible to display that the specific user has logged in within the bulletin board object O exemplified in Figure 11. After receiving notification eligibility information, the distribution server 100 performs processing to display the post-login title screen, as illustrated in Figure 9(C), on the user terminal of the logged-in user.

[0156] In step S107, it is determined whether or not there has been a request to view information about a specific user (a request from the user). If there is no request to view information, the process ends. If it is determined in step S107 that there has been a request to view information, the process proceeds to step S108, where information about the specific user, including information indicating that the specific user has logged in, is delivered to the user terminal and the process ends. For example, if a request to view information is made from the user terminal to display the bulletin board object O in the virtual space as illustrated in Figure 11 (for example, a request to obtain information to display the space where the bulletin board object O is located, or a request to obtain information about the bulletin board object O due to a selection operation on the bulletin board object O), then it is displayed on the user screen of the user terminal that the specific user has logged in. For example, the most recent predetermined period (for example, the past 3 hours) may be displayed.

[0157] (Entry notification process 2) The entry notification process 2 is a process executed by the specific user information media management server 500, and is a process for notifying the user terminal of information that a specific user has entered the virtual space based on the information received from the distribution server 100 in the entry notification process 1 described in Figure 12 (for example, by sending a push notification or displaying the entry information on the user terminal in response to a viewing request from the user). The entry notification process 2 will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 13. The entry notification process 2 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals by the control unit 530 of the specific user information media management server 500. The specific user information media management server 500 performs various processes, including the entry notification process 2, based on the program stored in the storage unit 520.

[0158] First, in step S201, it is determined whether or not notification information has been received to notify the user terminal that a specific user has logged in. If it is not determined that notification information has been received, the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S201 that notification information has been received, in step S202, a process is performed to notify (inform) the user terminal of the information that a specific user has logged in, based on the received notification information. For example, when talent BBB-chan logs in, in step S105 of Figure 12, notification information is sent from the distribution server 100, and when the specific user information media management server 500 receives this notification information, a push notification is sent to the user terminal that talent BBB-chan, as exemplified in Figure 10(A), has logged into the virtual space.

[0159] In step S203, the user access status is obtained from the distribution server 100. For example, the user access status API of the distribution server 100 is used to obtain a list of user access statuses stored in the storage unit 120, which was updated in step S106 of Figure 12. The obtained user access status information may be stored in the storage unit 520 of the specific user information media management server 500.

[0160] In step S204, it is determined whether or not there has been a request from the user terminal to view information about a specific user (a request from the user). If it is determined that there has been no request to view information about a specific user, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that there has been a request to view information about a specific user, in step S205, the information about the specific user, including the login information of the specific user obtained in step S203, is distributed to the user terminal, and the process ends. For example, if a viewing request is made, such as a request to display the screen showing the schedule for a specific user as shown in Figure 10(B), then content heading 40a, which is the video distribution information for the specific user, and content heading 40b, which is the login information for the specific user to the virtual space, will be displayed on the user screen.

[0161] (Entry notification process 3) Entry notification process 3 is a process that distributes notification information to user terminals of users who are not currently in the virtual space, informing them that a specific user has entered (logged in). The target user terminals to which the notification information is distributed differ from those of entry notification process 1, which was explained with reference to Figure 12. In entry notification process 1, notifications are sent to users regardless of whether they are currently in the virtual space or not (user terminals of users whose entry status in Figure 7(A) is "currently in the virtual space" are also included as target recipients), whereas in entry notification process 3, notifications are sent to users who are not currently in the virtual space. The entry notification process 3 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 14. It differs from entry notification process 1 in steps S105A and S105B, which are enclosed by dotted lines. The explanation of processes that overlap with entry notification process 1 will be omitted below. Entry notification process 3 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals by the control unit 130 of the distribution server 100. The distribution server 100 performs various processes, including the room entry notification process 3, based on the program stored in the memory unit 120.

[0162] In step S104, if it is determined that the specific user has authorized other users to be notified of their login, the process proceeds to step S105A, where users who are not in the virtual space are extracted. In step S105B, notification information that the specific user has logged in is distributed to the user terminals of users who are not in the virtual space. For example, the notification management unit 135 refers to the user information 122 and extracts users who are not currently in the virtual space and are logged out. In step S105B, the notification information is distributed (push notification, etc.) to the user terminals of the users extracted in step S105A. For example, it is distributed to user IDs "u3", "u5", and "u7", whose entry status in Figure 7(A) is "Out of Room". Note that push notifications may be sent only to the terminals of general users.

[0163] As a result, in step S105 of Figure 12, a notification is sent regardless of whether the recipient user has entered the virtual space or not. However, in entry notification process 3 of Figure 14, it becomes possible to extract users who have not entered the virtual space and are unlikely to know that a specific user has entered, and send them a notification. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent notifications from being sent to users who have already entered the virtual space and are aware that a specific user has entered.

[0164] (Entry notification process 4) Entry notification process 4 is a process that distributes notification information to the user terminals of users other than those who are already in the virtual space under predetermined conditions, informing them that a specific user has entered (logged in). Unlike entry notification process 1, which was explained with reference to Figure 12, the target user terminals to which the notification information is distributed differ. While entry notification process 1 notifies users regardless of their status in the virtual space (for example, whether they are participating in an event or have already planned to participate in an event), entry notification process 4 notifies users other than those who are already in the virtual space under predetermined conditions (including users who are not in the virtual space). Entry notification process 4 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 15. It differs from entry notification process 1 in steps S105C and S105D, which are enclosed by dotted lines. The explanation of processes that overlap with entry notification process 1 will be omitted below. Entry notification process 4 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals by the control unit 130 of the distribution server 100. The distribution server 100 performs various processes, including room entry notification processing 4, based on the program stored in the storage unit 120.

[0165] In step S104, if it is determined that the specific user has authorized other users to be notified that they have logged in, the process proceeds to step S105C, where users are extracted, excluding those who are already in the virtual space under predetermined conditions. In step S105D, notification information that the user in question has logged in is distributed to the user terminals of all users except those who are already in the virtual space under predetermined conditions.

[0166] The specified circumstances refer to situations in which a user is participating in specified content within a virtual space. This includes situations such as participating in a live event held in a virtual space, a fan meeting, or a game, or any other situation where the user is participating in highly immersive content. For example, in games, notifications may not be sent in games that require immediate action, such as battle games, but may be sent in games that do not require immediate action, such as building games. In this way, notifications can be disabled in situations where distraction from them would be detrimental to the user or where there is a risk of diminishing immersion.

[0167] Other conditions that may be considered include a predetermined period before an event that a user has already planned to attend, or a predetermined period before an event scheduled to take place in a virtual space (for example, one hour before the event starts). This is because, when a predetermined event is to be held, information that a specific user will enter the virtual space may already be known.

[0168] As described above, information about a specific user entering the virtual space can be notified to the user's terminal. This allows, for example, to feel closer to a specific user more quickly, enriching fan activities, to enjoy various content (activities) with a specific user through the virtual space, and to anticipate the possibility of an event being held when a specific user enters the virtual space (for example, a surprise live performance by a celebrity), thereby enhancing the user experience through the virtual space.

[0169] <Regarding setting change processing> Referring to Figures 16-19, the process for changing the settings of the distribution server 100 to a continuous provision state, which can change in response to user actions including entering the virtual space, will be explained. In this embodiment, the control unit 130 of the distribution server 100 can perform a setting change process for the distribution server 100 to a continuous provision state, which enables continuous provision of the virtual space to users, either through manual operation by the operator from the administrator terminal 200, or when pre-set conditions are met. A state in which continuous provision is not possible (not in a continuous provision state) is a state in which, when the distribution server 100 provides the virtual space to the user, processing delays or failures may occur due to the processing capacity of the distribution server 100 (number of running servers, specifications, etc.), making it difficult or likely to be temporarily interrupted to smoothly and continuously provide the virtual space. In contrast, a continuous provision state is a state in which such risks are absent or extremely low.

[0170] The following are examples of user behaviors that are expected to make it difficult or temporarily interrupt the smooth and continuous provision of the virtual space to the user by the distribution server 100 (maintaining a continuous provision state). (1) A situation in which the load on the distribution server 100 increases due to a large number of users requesting to log in to the virtual space in a short period of time (such as a situation in which the CPU usage of the distribution server 100 remains at a high level for a predetermined period of time). (2) A situation in which a waiting time occurs in order to start a new room because the number of users requesting to enter a room exceeds the predetermined upper limit of the number of users that can be associated with (enter) one room (for example, the upper limit of the number of users that can be associated with one server). (3) A situation in which the load on the distribution server 100 increases due to an increase in the actions of users who have already entered the virtual space. Actions refer to actions that are expected to increase the amount of communication between the user terminal and the distribution server 100, such as user movement within the virtual space, item usage, and chat. For example, actions such as synchronizing the location information of user avatars and synchronizing performance information caused by item usage increase the amount and frequency of information to be synchronized with other user terminals, thus increasing the processing load on the distribution server 100.

[0171] In conventional systems, when user behavior that made it difficult to maintain the above-mentioned continuous service provision state occurred, the load on the distribution server 100 increased, or when the number of users exceeded the allowable limit. In such cases, the system performed configuration changes to maintain the distribution server 100 in a continuous service state, such as increasing the server resources of the distribution server 100 (server enhancement process) or reducing the amount of information delivered to user terminals. However, if processing is performed only after an increase in load occurs, the distribution server 100 will take longer to process due to the increased load, resulting in waiting times for users compared to when the load is not increased. In other words, when the load on the distribution server 100 increases, the processing of the distribution server 100 slows down more than usual, and it takes time for users to enter the virtual space and for data to be delivered to user terminals. In particular, in this embodiment, when a specific user enters the virtual space, it can affect the behavior of other users and increase the load on the distribution server 100. Furthermore, since other users may be notified that a specific user has entered the virtual space, this could potentially influence the actions of other users, leading to longer processing times and an increased risk of server failures. Therefore, in this embodiment, a process is implemented to reduce the load on the distribution server 100 in advance, triggered by the entry of a specific user into the virtual space. This makes it possible to maintain continuous service even if user behavior occurs that would otherwise make it difficult to maintain the aforementioned continuous service status.

[0172] The process of increasing the resources of the distribution server 100 (increasing the server's processing capacity) in this embodiment includes the following aspects. (1) Processing to increase the number of servers that provide the virtual space (scaling out). (2) Processing to improve the performance of the servers that provide the virtual space (scaling up).

[0173] Furthermore, the process for reducing (mitigating) the amount of information distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal in this embodiment includes the following aspects. (1) Reduction of the overall amount of information by reducing the number of synchronizations between the distribution server 100 and the user terminal. (2) Reduce the amount of information itself that is distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal. These processes may also be implemented by sending signals from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal to reduce the number of synchronization requests from the user terminal or to reduce the amount of information requested by the user terminal, or by suppressing the number of synchronizations performed by the distribution user 100 to the user terminal and the amount of information sent. For example, the distribution server 100 periodically distributes signals regarding server congestion information to users, and when the server load increases, it sends a signal of server congestion information to the user terminal. Upon receiving the congestion information signal, the user terminal processes the transmission of synchronization requests to decrease or reduces the amount of information requested by the user terminal. The amount of information requested includes, for example, rendering information such as the amount of display of objects (including user avatars) in the virtual space and image resolution. This reduces the processing burden on the distribution server 100 from frequently inputting and outputting data or from reading large amounts of data in order to read the information distributed to the user terminal.

[0174] (Examples of system configuration and processes) Figure 16 shows an example of the system configuration and processing process of the distribution server 100. As an example configuration, the distribution server 100 consists of a login authentication device 101, a lobby management device 102, a real-time synchronization device 103, a notification management device 104, and a server management device 105. Each device may consist of one or more servers (communication infrastructure). For example, the login authentication device 101 may be an API server for login authentication, and the lobby management device 102 may be a lobby API server for providing user terminals with information about virtual space areas, rooms, etc. For example, the login authentication device 101 may consist of multiple servers such as server 101a, server 101b, etc., and the lobby management device 102 may consist of multiple servers such as server 102a, server 102b, etc.

[0175] The login authentication device 101 is a computer that has the function of performing processing for user login authentication, which is executed by the access control unit 134, etc. The login authentication device 101 receives login information from the user terminal, determines whether or not login is permitted, and transitions the user to the logged-in state once authentication is complete. For example, authentication is performed by referring to the user information contained in the login information and the user data table stored in the user information 121.

[0176] When the login authentication process performed by the login authentication device 101 is performed by a specific user, the login authentication device 101 transmits predetermined information to the notification device 104 and the server management device 105. Information identifying that the specific user has logged in is transmitted to the notification device 104. A request to increase the server's resources is transmitted to the server management device 105.

[0177] The notification management device 104 is a computer that performs processing to notify user terminals, etc., that a specific user has logged in, as executed by the notification management unit 135, etc. For example, when the notification management device 104 receives information that a specific user has logged in from the login authentication device 101 (which may include information on whether entry is permitted or not), it performs processing to send a push notification to the user terminal or the administrator terminal 200. The information that a specific user has logged in may include information on whether entry is permitted or not sent from the specific user's user terminal. Alternatively, the notification management device 104 may be an entry status API server that obtains the entry status of users into the virtual space in response to requests from other servers. The login authentication device 101 may also perform processing to notify the administrator terminal 200 itself or the user terminal itself that a specific user has logged in.

[0178] The server management device 105 is a computer that performs processing to change the server resource settings, which is carried out by the scale management unit 136 and the like. The login authentication device 101 and the lobby management device 102 are examples of servers for which the server management device 105 will increase resources. When the server management device 105 performs processing to increase the number of servers as part of the resource increase processing, as illustrated in Figure 17, servers 101c and 101d will be added as servers for the login authentication device 101, and servers 102c and 102d will be added as servers for the lobby management device 102.

[0179] Increasing the number of servers for the login authentication device 101 will enable the login authentication device 101 to withstand the load caused by a large number of login requests (accesses) from users in a short period of time, thereby reducing the risk of users experiencing waiting times and enabling the continuous provision of the virtual space to users. Similarly, increasing the number of servers for the lobby management device 102 will enable the lobby management device 102 to withstand the load caused by a large number of requests for virtual space information such as area and room information from users in a short period of time, thereby reducing the risk of users experiencing waiting times and enabling the continuous provision of the virtual space to users.

[0180] The lobby management device 102 is a computer that has the function of providing users, executed by the content management unit 131, with information about virtual space areas and a list of rooms that can be entered related to those areas. When a user's terminal is logged in by the login authentication device 101, it requests information about areas and rooms from the lobby management device 102. Based on the information obtained in response to the request, the device displays a screen on the user terminal's display unit that shows information about the virtual space areas and various rooms that can be entered, for example, as illustrated in Figure 9(C).

[0181] The real-time synchronization device 103 is a computer that performs real-time synchronous communication within a room and between rooms, executed by the content management unit 131 and the scale management unit 136. It is also possible to set an upper limit on the number of users that can be associated with (enter) each room (for example, an upper limit of 200 people). The real-time synchronization device 103 consists of, for example, a room management device 1031, room servers 103a, room servers 103b, etc. The room management device 1031 performs communication control related to rooms. In terms of communication control, it assigns rooms in response to communication requests from user terminals. For example, when a user terminal requests entry into any room from the real-time synchronization device 103 based on information obtained by the lobby management device 105, the room management device 1031 obtains connection information to the room, and entry into the room becomes possible.

[0182] Furthermore, the room management device 1031 can vary the resources of the room server according to the load on the room server or the number of people entering the room. For example, this can be done by scaling out or scaling up the room server. The room management device 1031 may also be configured to increase the number of rooms that provide content corresponding to the room entered by a specific user (for example, a predetermined area, specific content within an area, etc.). For example, while multiple rooms corresponding to each area will, in principle, only display the user avatars of users who are in the same room, the user avatar of a specific user can be mirrored and reflected in rooms of the same type that provide the same content, even if the specific user is not in the same room. This makes it possible to provide users in other rooms with an experience as if they were in the same room as the specific user. Therefore, since it is conceivable that the number of users trying to enter similar rooms that provide the same content will increase, the number of rooms can be increased in advance.

[0183] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the room management device 1031 may be able to vary the amount of virtual space information provided to the user by the room server. For example, it may reduce the amount of rendering information within a room for which content corresponding to a room entered by a specific user is provided. The server management device 105 may also perform processing to reduce the amount of rendering information within a room.

[0184] Furthermore, the room management device 1031 may change the resources of the room server or the amount of information provided to the user when the login authentication device 101 authenticates the login of a specific user. For example, when a specific user is authenticated to log in, multiple rooms may be started and kept on standby, and after the specific user enters a room, the standby room servers may provide content corresponding to the content the specific user entered. Alternatively, the amount of information may be reduced only for the room entered by the specific user. However, the changes to the room server resources may be made regardless of the area (content) entered by the specific user.

[0185] (Reinforcement of virtual space provisioning servers) Figure 18 is a flowchart illustrating the virtual space provision server enhancement process, which is part of the configuration change process of the distribution server 100 executed by the distribution server 100, and is used to change the server's resources. The virtual space provision server enhancement process is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals by the control unit 130 of the distribution server 100. The distribution server 100 performs various processes, including the virtual space provision server enhancement process, based on the program stored in the memory unit 120. The determination of whether or not a user is a specific user is explained using an example based on the evaluation index in Figure 7(A). In the virtual space provision server enhancement process, the predetermined situation is when the server load becomes heavy, or immediately before the server load becomes heavy.

[0186] First, in step S301, it is determined whether a predetermined condition has been met. If it is determined in step S301 that a predetermined condition has been met, the process proceeds to step S302, where the server resources are increased according to the predetermined condition, the server is put into a continuous provision state, and the process ends. For example, if a predetermined condition is met, such as a heavy server load due to factors including user actions (e.g., logging in, entering a room, performing an action), the scale management unit 136 performs a process to increase the number of servers as a process to increase server resources.

[0187] On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S301 that the predetermined situation has occurred, it is determined in step S303 whether or not a specific user has logged in. If it is not determined that a specific user has logged in, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that a specific user has logged in, the process proceeds to step S304. For example, when the access control unit 134 (for example, the login authentication device 101) performs login authentication processing based on a user's login request, it determines whether or not the logged-in user is a specific user. For example, if the logged-in user is user ID "u1" in Figure 7(A), the evaluation index is negative, so it is not determined that a specific user has logged in, and the process ends. On the other hand, if the logged-in user is user ID "u2", the evaluation index is positive, so it is determined that a specific user has logged in.

[0188] In step S304, the server resources are increased according to the specific user who has logged in, and the process is terminated with the server in a continuous service state. For example, if the type and number of servers to be increased are determined according to the evaluation index, if the logged-in user is user ID "u2", the evaluation index is 5, so the scale management unit 136 (for example, server management device 105) executes a process to increase the number of normal servers and high-spec servers by one each. If the logged-in user is user ID "u3", the evaluation index is 18, so the scale management unit 136 executes a process to increase the number of high-spec servers by four and the highest-spec servers by three. As a result, the processing capacity of the distribution server 100 is improved because the number of servers is increased according to the influence of each specific user.

[0189] This allows for pre-emptive server upgrades, triggered by a specific user logging in, even when the predetermined conditions have not yet been met and server load has not increased.

[0190] Furthermore, the process of increasing server resources may also be scale-up, which involves improving the server's performance. The predetermined conditions may also include situations where the maximum number of users in a room is exceeded (when the room becomes full, or when a predetermined number of users is reached just before it becomes full). When the maximum number of users in a room is exceeded, the number of rooms may be increased by increasing the number of servers, or the number of rooms that can be set up within a single server may be increased by improving the server's performance.

[0191] (Processing for fluctuations in the amount of information distributed) Figure 19 is a flowchart illustrating the distribution information volume variation process, which is part of the distribution server 100's configuration change process, and is used to change the amount of information distributed from the distribution server 100 to user terminals. The distribution information volume variation process is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals by the control unit 130 of the distribution server 100. The distribution server 100 performs various processes, including the distribution information volume variation process, based on the program stored in the memory unit 120. The determination of whether or not a user is a specific user is explained using an example based on the evaluation index shown in Figure 7(A). In the distribution information volume variation process, the predetermined situation is when the server load becomes heavy, or immediately before (just before) the server load becomes heavy.

[0192] First, in step S401, it is determined whether a predetermined condition has been met. If it is determined in step S401 that a predetermined condition has been met, the process proceeds to step S402, where information is sent to the user terminal to reduce the number of synchronization signal transmissions according to the predetermined condition (load condition), thereby maintaining the server in a continuous service state. For example, if a predetermined condition is met, such as a heavy server load due to factors including user actions (e.g., logging in, entering a room, performing an action), the data distribution unit 132 sends information to the user terminal indicating that the server is congested, thereby reducing the number of synchronizations from the user terminal and reducing the amount of information distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal.

[0193] In step S403, the amount of information (the amount of information itself) distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal is reduced according to predetermined conditions, and the process ends with the server in a state of continuous service provision. For example, a process is performed to change the settings so that the rendering information (rendering load) of the virtual space distributed from the data distribution unit 132 to the user terminal is reduced before being distributed to the user terminal. For example, if predetermined conditions occur, such as the server load becoming heavy due to factors including user actions, a process is performed to reduce the amount of rendering information such as the amount of objects (including user avatars) displayed and image resolution distributed from the server.

[0194] On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S401 that the predetermined situation has been reached, then in step S404, it is determined whether or not the specific user has logged in. If it is not determined that the specific user has logged in, the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the specific user has logged in, the process proceeds to step S405. For example, when the entry / exit processing unit 134 (for example, the login authentication device 101) performs login authentication processing based on a user's login request, it determines whether or not the logged-in user is the specific user. For example, if the user who logged into the room is user ID "u1" in Figure 7(A), the evaluation index is negative, so it is not determined that the specific user has logged in and the process ends. On the other hand, if the logged-in user is user ID "u2", the evaluation index is positive, so it is determined that the specific user has logged in.

[0195] In step S405, the server is kept in a continuous service state by sending information to the user terminal to reduce the number of synchronization signal transmissions according to the specific user. For example, by sending information from the data distribution unit 132 to the user terminal that the server is congested, the number of synchronizations from the user terminal is reduced, thereby reducing the amount of information distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal. For example, the number of synchronizations is changed according to the evaluation index; for users with an evaluation index of 1 to 5, the synchronization is controlled to be 3 times per second instead of the usual 6 times, and for users with an evaluation index of 6 or higher, the synchronization is set to 1 time per second.

[0196] In step S406, the amount of information distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal is reduced according to the specific user, and the process ends with the server in a state of continuous service. For example, the processing is changed so that the rendering information (rendering load) of the virtual space distributed from the data distribution unit 132 to the user terminal is reduced before being distributed to the user terminal. Alternatively, different processing may be performed depending on the specific user. For example, the amount of information may be reduced so that the number of objects displayed in the virtual space is less when a user with an evaluation index of 11 or higher enters the room than when a user with an evaluation index of 1 to 10 enters the room.

[0197] This allows for a process to be pre-programmed to reduce the amount of information delivered from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal, even when the predetermined conditions have not been met and the server load has not increased, before the predetermined conditions are met, triggered by a specific user logging in.

[0198] Furthermore, the processing in steps S402 and S405 is not limited to sending information to the user terminal to reduce the number of synchronization signal transmissions. It may also involve changing the settings to reduce the number of synchronizations performed from the data distribution unit 132 to the user terminal (synchronization count reduction setting), thereby reducing the number of synchronizations between the distribution server 100 and the user terminal and keeping the server in a continuous service state. Additionally, the processing in steps S403 and S406 may involve, for example, sending information from the data distribution unit 132 to the user terminal that the server is congested, thereby reducing the amount of virtual space rendering information requested by the user terminal and keeping the server in a continuous service state.

[0199] Furthermore, the predetermined conditions may include when the maximum number of users in the room is exceeded (when the room becomes full, or when a predetermined number of users is reached just before it becomes full). When the maximum number of users in the room is exceeded, processing may be performed to reduce the amount of information distributed to the distribution server 100 and user terminals. This is because, as the number of users in the room increases, for example, the number of user actions increases, which may increase the amount of information required to update (synchronize) information in the virtual space and potentially increase the server load. Therefore, processing can be performed in advance to keep the server in a continuous service state.

[0200] <Examples of LE configurations and effects>

[0201] (1-1) In the above-described embodiment, when the load on the distribution server 100 exceeds a threshold or reaches the maximum number of users that can be associated with a room, depending on factors including multiple types of user actions (for example, entering a room by logging in, entering a room, performing actions within the virtual space), the server enhancement process in steps S301 to S302 of Figure 18 or the distribution information volume fluctuation process in steps S401 to S403 of Figure 19 is executed to put the system into a continuous provision state so that the virtual space can be continuously provided to the user. However, even in situations that do not meet the predetermined conditions, such as when the load on the distribution server 100 does not exceed a threshold, or when the maximum number of users that can be associated with a room has not been reached, when a specific user enters the virtual space, such as a talent or celebrity with user attribute numbers "2", "3", or "5" in Figure 7(A), or a user with a positive evaluation index, the server enhancement process in steps S303 to S304 in Figure 18, or the distribution information volume fluctuation process in steps S404 to S406 in Figure 19, is executed to set the distribution server 100 to a continuous provision state. This allows the settings of the virtual space provision unit to be changed to a continuous provision state in advance when a specific user enters the virtual space. This makes it possible to take measures in advance to mitigate the load that may occur when a specific user enters the virtual space.

[0202] (1-2) In the above-described embodiment, as a process to set the virtual space provisioning unit to a continuous provision state, the server enhancement process (process to increase resources) of the distribution server 100 is performed in steps S302 and S304 of Figure 18. As a server enhancement process, the server management device 105 in Figures 16 and 17 performs processes such as increasing the number of servers 101c and 101d of the login authentication device 101, which can be used to scale out the distribution server 100 (increase the number of servers) or scale up the distribution server (increase the CPU and memory specifications of the server). As a result, the resources that can function as the distribution server 100 are increased, improving the processing capacity of the distribution server 100 so that it can withstand the load, and thus enabling the continuous provision of virtual space to users.

[0203] (1-3) In the above-described embodiment, as a process to keep the distribution server 100 in a continuous provision state, distribution information volume variation processing is performed to reduce the total amount of information distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal, such as steps S402, S403, S405, and S406 in Figure 19. As distribution information volume variation processing, the number of synchronizations between the distribution server 100 and the user terminal is reduced by performing processes such as sending information to reduce the number of synchronization signal transmissions from the user terminal, such as steps S402 and S405 in Figure 19, and sending information to reduce the amount of drawing information requested, or by performing processes such as setting a reduction in the amount of information distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal, such as steps S403 and S406 in Figure 19, and setting a reduction in the number of synchronizations from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal, thereby reducing the amount of information itself when it is distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal. This reduces the amount of information delivered from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal, thereby reducing the processing load on the distribution server 100 and making it able to withstand the load, thus enabling it to continuously provide the virtual space to the user.

[0204] (1-4) In the embodiments described above, a setting change process is performed to change the settings of the distribution server 100 to a continuous provision state in preparation for situations where a predetermined situation occurs or when a specific user enters the virtual space and a predetermined situation may occur. The predetermined situation includes situations where the load on the distribution server 100 exceeds a predetermined threshold due to user actions such as users entering the virtual space, users moving within the virtual space, or using items, and situations where waiting time occurs due to the number of users requesting to enter a room exceeding the number of people who can enter the room. In this embodiment, by performing the setting change process, even if there is a risk that the distribution server 100 will be unable to continuously provide the virtual space to users due to a load exceeding a predetermined threshold, it is possible to change the settings of the distribution server 100 to a continuous provision state. This makes it possible to continuously provide the virtual space to users.

[0205] (1-5) In the above-described embodiment, when a specific user, such as a talent or celebrity with user attribute types "2", "3", or "5" in Figure 7, or a user with a positive evaluation index, enters the virtual space, the setting change process of the distribution server 100 in Figures 18 and 19 is executed so that it corresponds to the evaluation index of that specific user. This makes it possible to change the settings of the distribution server 100 to a predetermined state of continuous provision when a user whose entry into the virtual space is thought to have an impact on the actions of other users enters the virtual space.

[0206] (1-6) In the embodiments described above, entry into the virtual space includes entry by logging into the virtual space, and the settings of the distribution server 100 are changed in response to a specific user logging in. Furthermore, in step S304 of the server enhancement process in Figure 18, the resources of the servers corresponding to the login authentication API server for authenticating (processing) whether the user login was successful, the login authentication device 101 in Figure 16, and the entry / exit processing unit 134 can be increased. This ensures that even if the server performing the login authentication process is overloaded due to other users logging in after a specific user has logged in, it can withstand the load.

[0207] (2-1) In the embodiment described above, when a specific user whose evaluation index, which fluctuates according to external evaluations (evaluations from non-users) as shown in Figure 7(A), has a positive value, or when a specific user such as a talent or celebrity with user attribute numbers "2", "3", or "5" enters the virtual space, an entry notification process is executed as shown in Figures 12 to 15 to inform other users that the specific user has entered the virtual space. This makes it possible to notify other users that a specific user has entered the virtual space, making it easier for other users to obtain information about the specific user and promoting the growth of the virtual space.

[0208] (2-2) In the embodiment described above, the users of the user terminals to which notification information is delivered in step S105 of Figure 12 include users whose entry status in Figure 7 is "entering the room". This ensures that users are notified when a specific user enters the room, even if they are already in the virtual space, thus preventing situations where users are unaware that a specific user has entered the room even if they are already in the virtual space.

[0209] (2-3) In the embodiment described above, in steps S105A and S105B of the entry notification process 3 in Figure 14, the users of the user terminals that are notified when a specific user enters the virtual space do not include users whose entry status in Figure 7 is "entering the virtual space", but include users who are not in the virtual space whose entry status in Figure 7 is "leaving the virtual space". As a result, users who are in the virtual space are not notified when a specific user enters the virtual space, thus reducing the risk of the notification interfering with their immersion in the virtual space.

[0210] (2-4) In the embodiments described above, the push notification in Figure 10(A), the page displaying information about a specific user in Figure 10(B), and the contents of the bulletin board object O in Figure 11 can include information about the area (e.g., "Entered Area X!") or room (e.g., "Entered Room ID 0001") that the specific user has entered. This makes it possible for other users who receive the push notification or who view the information in the bulletin board object O to identify the virtual space that the specific user has entered. As a result, it becomes easier for other users to enter the same space (e.g., the same area or the same room) later, which can promote the development of the virtual space.

[0211] (2-5) In the embodiments described above, in a fan community app such as the one illustrated in Figure 10(B), a user can pre-select and remember their favorite users from among specific users, such as talents, as their "favorite talents." Furthermore, when a pre-selected talent (specific user) enters the virtual space, a push notification can be sent to that talent, as shown in Figure 10(A). Additionally, by selecting the "favorite filter 45" on a designated page within the app that displays information about a specific user as shown in Figure 10(B), information about the pre-selected talent entering the virtual space can be extracted and displayed. This allows users to select their favorite users for the information they receive, thereby improving their satisfaction with the information they receive.

[0212] (3-1) In the above-described embodiment, when a specific user enters the virtual space, information about that specific user has entered can be displayed in response to a viewing request from the user, such as in steps S105 to S107 in Figure 12 and steps S203 to S205 in Figure 13, on the talent schedule information of the community application such as Figure 10(B) or on the bulletin board object O placed in the virtual space such as Figure 11. This makes it possible to display information about that specific user entering the virtual space to other users as information about that specific user, thereby improving convenience for users seeking information about that specific user.

[0213] (3-2) In the embodiment described above, information about a specific user can be displayed in a specific area within the virtual space, such as the bulletin board object O in Figure 11. This allows users to view information about a specific user even while they are inside the virtual space, increasing convenience for users seeking information about a specific user.

[0214] (4-1) In the embodiment described above, when a specific user logs in, steps S102 and S103 in Figure 12 display a screen on the user terminal screen of the specific user that allows the user to choose whether or not to notify other users of their login, as shown in Figure 9(B). When the setting is configured to allow other users to log in, such as by selecting the "Yes" icon 22Y in Figure 9(B), steps S105 and S106 enable notification to other users that they have entered the room. This allows the setting of whether or not to notify other users when a specific user enters the room to be configured taking into account the specific user's preferences and circumstances, thereby improving the convenience of the specific user.

[0215] (4-2) In the embodiment described above, when a specific user enters the virtual space, if the user selects an option to grant permission, such as selecting the "Yes" icon 22Y on the screen in Figure 9(B) which allows the user to choose whether or not to notify other users that they have logged in, then, in steps S105 and S106 in Figure 12, the user's entry into the virtual space can be notified to other users. As a result, when a specific user enters the virtual space, they can choose to notify other users that they have entered, and thus the specific user can effectively notify others according to the circumstances at the time of entry.

[0216] (5-1) In the above-described embodiment, in the four entry notification processing steps S105C and S105D of Figure 15, the user terminals of users other than those who are already in the virtual space under predetermined circumstances, such as participating in a live event or other predetermined content, will be notified that a specific user has entered the virtual space. This avoids the situation where notifications are sent when there is little need to inform users that a specific user has entered the virtual space, simply because a user is already in the virtual space under predetermined circumstances. Furthermore, since notifications are not sent when a user is participating in a predetermined event, their immersion in the event is not disrupted.

[0217] <Variation> The following are some examples of modifications to the embodiments described above.

[0218] <Other examples regarding specific users and configuration change processing> (Regarding attribute numbers and server upgrade processes) In the embodiment described above, when executing the server enhancement process explained with reference to Figure 18, an example was described in which, if a user with a positive evaluation index logs in at step S303, it is determined that a specific user has logged in. However, the example is not limited to this; if a user whose attribute number is "2", "3", "5", etc., who is a talent or celebrity logs in, it may be determined that a specific user has logged in, and resources may be increased according to the attribute number.

[0219] (Relationship between evaluation index, attribute number, and amount of information delivered) In the embodiment described above, with reference to Figure 8, an example was explained in which server resources (number of servers, CPU and memory specifications) to be varied for each evaluation index are defined, and server resources are varied according to the evaluation index of a specific user. Similarly, with respect to the amount of information to be delivered, the number of synchronizations between the delivery server 100 and the user terminal may be changed, or the amount of information to be reduced delivered from the delivery server 100 may be adjusted according to the evaluation index. For example, when a user with an evaluation index of 1 to 5 enters the room, the number of synchronizations may be set to 3, and when a user with an evaluation index of 6 or higher enters the room, the number of synchronizations may be set to 1. In addition, the number of objects displayed in the virtual space may be reduced when a user with an evaluation index of 11 or higher enters the room compared to when a user with an evaluation index of 1 to 10 enters the room.

[0220] Furthermore, the amount of information delivered may be adjusted for each attribute number. For example, when a specific user associated with attribute number "2" in Figure 7(B) enters the room, the number of synchronizations per second may be set to 1, and when a specific user associated with attribute number "5" enters the room, the number of synchronizations per second may be set to 3.

[0221] (Regarding evaluation indices and entry notification procedures) In the embodiment described above, the determination of whether or not a user is a specific user in step S102 of Figure 12 was described as being made according to the attribute number associated with the user. However, the determination of whether or not a user is a specific user may also be made according to the evaluation index. For example, if a user has a positive evaluation index, they are determined to be a specific user, and a process to notify other users that the user has entered the virtual space is executed. If a user has a negative evaluation index, they are not determined to be a specific user, and the process to notify other users that the user has entered the virtual space is not executed.

[0222] (Regarding user attribute numbers and evaluation indices) In the above-described embodiment, an example was explained in which a user attribute number and a user evaluation index are associated with each user, with reference to Figure 7. However, this is not limited to this example; either the "user attribute number" or the "evaluation index" may be defined, or only one of them may be defined.

[0223] Furthermore, when a user account is created (when a user ID is created), the default attribute number may be set to "1" for general users. Alternatively, the administrator may arbitrarily change and store the attribute numbers of already created user accounts. Or, the administrator may assign attribute numbers in advance, and then add the user to the user information 121 data table. Moreover, attribute numbers are not limited to the default or those assigned arbitrarily by the administrator; they may also change due to other factors. For example, users whose "evaluation index" exceeds a predetermined value may be assigned the user attribute number "5" as celebrities.

[0224] In the above-described embodiment, with reference to Figure 8 and others, an example was explained in which the degree of change in the settings of the distribution server 100 (such as resource amount and distribution amount) is predetermined for each evaluation index or attribute number. In addition to this, a predetermined number of servers may be associated with each user ID. For example, it can be set that there are 3 servers for user ID "u2" and 10 servers for user ID "u7". When "u2" logs in, the number of servers is increased by 3, and when "u7" logs in, the number of servers is increased by 10.

[0225] Alternatively, the operator may pre-determine an evaluation index for each user corresponding to their desired number of servers. For example, if the operator wants to increase the number of normal and high-spec servers by one when user ID "u2" joins, the operator may pre-determine user ID "u2"'s evaluation index to "5".

[0226] (Other examples of identifying specific users (special users)) In the embodiments described above, an example was explained in which a determination of whether or not a user is a specific user is made based on an attribute number or an evaluation index. However, as illustrated by user ID "u6" in Figure 7(A), an example was also described in which, if both an attribute number and an evaluation index are defined, the user may be determined to be a specific user and processed if either of them indicates a specific user. However, the system is not limited to this, and even if both an attribute number and an evaluation index are defined, if neither the user attribute number nor the evaluation index indicates a specific user, processing as a specific user may not be performed. For example, regardless of whether or not the attribute number is that of a specific user (for example, 2, 3, and 5 in Figure 7(B)), the user may not be determined to be a specific user unless the evaluation index is a positive value.

[0227] Alternatively, if both an attribute number and an evaluation index are defined, the criteria used to determine whether a user is a specific user may be predetermined to be either the attribute number or the evaluation index, depending on the processing content, such as entry notification processing or configuration change processing for the distribution server 100. The criteria used to determine whether a user is a specific user may differ depending on the processing content. For example, when performing entry notification processing to notify other users that they have entered the virtual space, the notification processing may be executed when it is determined that the user is a specific user by referring to the attribute number of the user who entered. For configuration change processing for the distribution server 100, the evaluation index of the user who entered may be referred to, and processing may be performed depending on whether it is determined that the user is a specific user.

[0228] <Regarding entry notification processing> (Regarding the option of notifying other users) In the embodiment described above, in step S104 of Figure 12, for example, if the "No" icon 22N in Figure 9(B) is selected, and permission has not been granted for other users to be notified when a specific user logs in, an example has been described in which the login of that specific user is not notified. The method of granting notification is not limited to displaying the screen in Figure 9(B) each time a user logs in. Instead of displaying the screen in Figure 9(B), or in addition, it may be possible to select whether to turn notification on or off in the settings screen beforehand. Alternatively, either notification on or notification off may be set as the default, and the user may be able to select on or off each time they log in. Furthermore, the content of the information to be notified, such as whether or not to notify when a user enters a room, or whether or not to notify the room ID, may be selectable by the specific user.

[0229] In the embodiment described above, an example was explained in which, after sending a login request to the distribution server 100 in step S101 of Figure 12 as shown in Figure 9(A), if it is determined in step S102 that the user is a specific user, a screen is displayed in Figure 9(B) that allows the user to choose whether or not to notify other users. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the user terminal may be designated as a dedicated terminal for a specific user, and the selection screen in Figure 9(B) may be displayed before the login request is sent to the distribution server 100. Then, when the "Yes" icon 22Y or the "No" icon 22N is selected in Figure 9(B), the login request may be sent to the distribution server 100 along with information on whether or not to allow notification to other users.

[0230] (Regarding push notifications) In the embodiment described above, push notifications were exemplified as a way to inform other users that a specific user has entered a room, with reference to Figure 10(A), etc. The push notification may be configured so that, by selecting the push notification displayed on the user's terminal, the user can transition to the virtual space that the specific user has entered. For example, an operation on the push notification may bring up a login screen for the virtual space. Alternatively, the user may be able to enter the room that the specific user is in, or a room that provides an area corresponding to the room that the specific user is in.

[0231] Furthermore, push notifications may include information about how to grant rewards. For example, a serial code could be displayed in the push notification message along with the login information of a specific user, and the user could receive a reward by entering this serial code when entering the virtual space. This would further encourage users to enter the virtual space via push notifications. Additionally, an expiration date could be set for the serial code, and the reward would not be granted unless the code is entered within a specified period (e.g., within 3 hours) after the serial code is notified. Moreover, the serial code could be entered not only when entering the virtual space, but also in a designated area within the virtual space or in the item shop, etc.

[0232] (Examples of where information about a specific user is displayed) In the above-described embodiment, with reference to Figure 10(B), the display in a fan community application was illustrated as an example of a page where information about a specific user provided by the specific user information media management server 500 can be viewed. However, the information about a specific user that can be displayed on the user terminal's display screen may also be displayed on a website screen accessible to the user via a web browser. For example, if the specific user is a talent, information such as the talent's video distribution information on a video distribution site or their entry status into a virtual space may be displayed. The information page on the website uses an API to obtain information such as the talent's account distribution and handle in the description section from the video distribution site and display performance information. Furthermore, by using the virtual space user entry status API, if the account of the specific user, the talent, is included among the users who have entered the virtual space, the entry information will be displayed on the web page along with the talent's icon, as illustrated in Figure 10(B). When the talent logs out, the entry information may be deleted or changed to indicate that they have left. When a user accesses the website from their device, the web page is displayed in the user's web browser, allowing them to obtain information about the talent. Furthermore, the user may be redirected to a virtual space based on this access information.

[0233] (For other examples of users who may be notified to other users) In the above-described embodiment, as explained with reference to Figure 10(B), for example, in a fan community app, by selecting the "favorite" filter icon 45, it is possible to extract and display (or send a push notification) information about talents that the user has previously selected as their favorites. Therefore, an example has been described in which information about a specific user who has been previously selected by the user entering the virtual space can be notified. In the entry notification process, it is not limited to cases where the user has been previously selected as their favorite in the fan community app; if the user has been previously selected by the user, only the information about the entry of the specific user who has been previously selected by the user can be notified. For example, this can be done for users who have been previously selected in the virtual space, and only the information about the entry of specific users that the user has been previously selected by the user from a list of specific users (e.g., a list of talents) can be notified. In this case, by storing the users that the user has been previously selected in the storage unit 120 of the distribution server 100 or in the user terminal 320, when it is detected that a specific user has logged in, the user terminal of the user who previously selected that specific user can be notified.

[0234] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, information identifying a user pre-selected by the user (information identifying whether or not the user has been selected), stored in the storage unit 520 of the specific user information media management server 500, is transmitted from the specific user information media management server 500 to each user, along with information including information on other specific users, and a process is performed at the user terminal that receives the transmitted information to extract the pre-selected specific user. However, a similar process may be performed in the distribution server 100. For example, information identifying a user pre-selected by the user (information identifying whether or not the user has been selected), stored in the storage unit 120 of the distribution server 100, is transmitted from the distribution server 100 to each user, along with information on other specific users, and a process is performed at the user terminal to extract the pre-selected specific user. Alternatively, based on the information stored in the storage units 120 and 520 of the distribution server 100 or the specific user information media management server 500, the specific user pre-selected by the user may be extracted, and only the information of the extracted specific user entering the room may be distributed to the user terminal.

[0235] Furthermore, it may be possible to calculate an engagement index between users based on the user's behavior history within the virtual space, and to notify users whose engagement index with a specific user who has entered the virtual space is above a predetermined value that the specific user has entered. The engagement index is calculated by the control unit 130 based on behavior history such as the number of times a user has participated in events related to the specific user, the amount of money spent on services related to the specific user (e.g., tips, merchandise purchases, etc.), or the number of times a user has been in the same room (or area) as the specific user. In addition, the calculation of the engagement index does not have to be limited to a specific period, or it may be calculated based on the amount of money spent during a predetermined period.

[0236] In the above-described embodiment, an example was explained in which the information notified to other users was information regarding a specific user's entry into the virtual space. However, in addition to this, if a user performs a predetermined action in the virtual space, even if that user is not the specific user, the presence of the user who performed the predetermined action may be notified to other users. For example, this includes detecting when a user moves to a location corresponding to a predetermined area in the virtual space. The predetermined area is, for example, a platform for holding an event, and it is an area where the presence of a user moving to the predetermined area suggests that an event will begin. When a user who has climbed onto the platform is detected, a notification such as "P has climbed onto the platform in area Y!" is posted, as exemplified by the bulletin board object O in Figure 11.

[0237] (Regarding information about specific users) In the above embodiment, as illustrated with reference to Figures 10(B) and 11, the information about a specific user that can be viewed in response to a user's viewing request includes information other than information about the user's entry into the virtual space (for example, video streaming information or event information within the virtual space). However, it is not limited to this, and may also include pages within the application or objects within the virtual space that can only view information about the specific user's entry into the virtual space.

[0238] (Regarding entry notification processing) In the embodiments described above, Figures 12 to 15 illustrate an example in which entry notification processing is performed in response to a specific user logging into a virtual space. However, instead of this, or in addition, for example, in step S101 of Figure 12, it may be determined whether or not a specific user has entered a room in the virtual space, and other users may be notified when the user enters any room. Alternatively, other users may be notified along with which room the user entered. For example, when a specific user enters area Y, a push notification may be sent along with information about the area entered.

[0239] Alternatively, as illustrated by the bulletin board object O in Figure 11, the system may notify users in stages when a specific user logs in and when that specific user enters a designated area. Furthermore, instead of, or in addition to, the room ID of the room the specific user entered may be notified.

[0240] Furthermore, when a specific user moves to a different room than the one they were previously in, a process may be implemented to notify the system each time the user moves.

[0241] Furthermore, even if a specific user enters the virtual space, notifications may not be sent if a predetermined amount of time has not elapsed since their previous entry. For example, if the predetermined time is set to 10 minutes, even if a specific user logs in, if 10 minutes have not passed since their previous login, the subsequent (current) login will not be notified. Similarly, notifications may also be not sent if a user enters the same room again within a predetermined time period since their previous entry. This helps to prevent repeated push notifications from being sent due to a specific user accidentally logging out.

[0242] (Regarding entry notification process 2) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which, in step S201 of Figure 13, when the specific user information media management server 500 receives notification information distributed from the distribution server 100 in step S105 of Figure 12, information that a specific user has logged in is notified to the user terminal. In other words, an example was described in which the distribution server 100 identifies the newly logged-in specific user who is to be notified to other users. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the specific user information media management server 500 may also identify the newly logged-in specific user based on the user entry status acquired in step S203, and it may be determined whether or not the newly logged-in specific user is included in the user entry status acquired in step S203, and if the newly logged-in specific user is included, the specific user information media management server 500 may spontaneously send a push notification to the user terminal.

[0243] In the above-described embodiment, an example was explained in step S203 of Figure 13 in which the user access status is obtained using the user access status API of the distribution server 100. However, the invention is not limited to this, and when a specific user logs in, the distribution server 100 may distribute (transmit) the latest information regarding the user access status to the specific user information media management server 500.

[0244] (Regarding entry notification process 3) In the above-described embodiment, an example was explained in which, in steps S105A and S105B of Figure 14, the distribution server 100 notifies users who have not entered (logged into) the virtual space that a specific user has entered (logged into) the virtual space. However, the same processing may be performed in the specific user information media management server 500. For example, the storage unit 520 of the specific user information media management server 500 may be pre-associated with the user ID in the specific user information media management server and the user ID in the virtual space provided by the distribution server 100, or the same ID may be used for both user IDs. This may cause notifications to be sent to user terminals of users not included in the user entry status obtained in step S203 in Figure 13.

[0245] In the above-described embodiment, steps S105A and S105B in Figure 14 describe an example in which users who have not entered (logged into) the virtual space are notified that a specific user has entered (logged into) the virtual space. However, even if a user is logged into the virtual space, they may also be notified if they are not in the same room in the same area as the specific user (or in the same room as the specific user).

[0246] In addition, in the entry notification process 3, for users who have not logged into the virtual space as extracted in step S105A, information indicating that the specific user has logged in may be included in the information about the specific user distributed in step S108, while information indicating that the specific user has logged in may not be included in the information distributed to users who have logged into the virtual space.

[0247] (Regarding entry notification process 4) In the above-described embodiment, an example was explained in which, in steps S105C and S105D of Figure 15, the distribution server 100 notifies users other than those who have entered the virtual space under predetermined conditions that a specific user has entered (logged into) the virtual space. However, similar processing may be performed in the specific user information media management server 500, as described above (regarding entry notification processing 3). For example, the user entry status acquired in step S203 of Figure 12 may include information on the content each user is participating in, and based on the acquired user entry status, notifications may be prevented from being sent to the user terminals of users who have entered the virtual space under predetermined conditions.

[0248] The above-described embodiment explains an example in which users who have entered the virtual room under predetermined circumstances are not notified that a specific user has entered (logged in). However, the invention is not limited to this example; it is also possible to prevent notification of a specific user's entry when they enter the virtual room under predetermined circumstances. For example, this may include cases where a user enters the virtual room to hold and carry out a pre-scheduled event within the virtual space under predetermined circumstances. If a specific user is a talent and enters the virtual room for a pre-scheduled live event in which that talent is the main performer, it is possible to prevent other users from being notified of their entry. In this case, the distribution server 100 may not perform the process of notifying other users when it is determined that a specific event period has been predetermined when a specific user logs in.

[0249] Furthermore, if a specific user's login occurs under predetermined circumstances, the information about that specific user, which is distributed in response to a user's viewing request in step S107 of Figure 12 and step S204 of Figure 13, may be excluded from the information about that specific user's login. For example, if a user can predict in advance that a specific user will log in or when they will log in, or if the user knows in advance that a specific user will enter the room, the information may not be notified. For example, by notifying users of pre-scheduled entry information or event information as part of the information about a specific user as exemplified in Figures 10(B) and 11, users can obtain information in advance that a specific user may be able to enter the room. Also, if a large-scale event is scheduled and many specific users are expected to participate, the amount of information that is notified can be prevented from becoming too large. In this way, depending on whether a specific user's entry is a pre-scheduled entry or not, if it is a pre-scheduled entry, the information may not be notified to other users.

[0250] In addition, in the entry notification process 4, for users other than those who have entered the virtual space under predetermined conditions as extracted in step S105C, the information about the specific user distributed in step S108 may include information indicating that the specific user has logged in, while the information distributed to users who have logged into the virtual space under predetermined conditions may not include information indicating that the specific user has logged in.

[0251] <Regarding the processing of configuration changes for distribution server 100> (Regarding entry into the virtual space) In the embodiment described above, an example was explained in which it is determined whether or not a specific user has logged in in step S303 of Figure 18 and step S404 of Figure 19. However, the system is not limited to this, and it is also possible to determine whether or not a specific user has entered the virtual space and process the information at the time of entering a room, rather than upon login to the virtual space. For example, in step S303 of Figure 18 and step S404 of Figure 19, if it is determined that a specific user has entered a predetermined room in the virtual space, the system may perform resource increase processing on the server or information reduction processing in steps S405 and S406. The server whose resources fluctuate may be a server corresponding to the entry / exit processing unit 134 that performs login authentication (for example, a login authentication API server), a server that has a function to provide the user with information about the virtual space area and a list of rooms that can be entered related to the area, or a server corresponding to a room. Furthermore, the processes in steps S405 and S406 of Figure 19 may be performed on the user terminals of all users who have entered the virtual space, or they may be performed on the user terminals of only some users. Some users may include, for example, users who have entered a room in the same area as the area entered by a specific user, or users who have entered the same room as the room entered by the specific user.

[0252] (Examples of cases where no changes are made) In the above-described embodiment, step S303 in Figure 18 and step S404 in Figure 19 illustrate an example where setting change processing is performed if the user who enters the room is a specific user. However, if the desired resource level or amount of information level has already been reached, processing may be avoided even if a specific user enters the room. For example, in Figure 8, the number of servers to be increased was defined, but a maximum number of servers could be defined instead, and even if a specific user logs in, if the number of servers has already reached the maximum number, the number of servers may not be increased.

[0253] (Regarding the degree of setting change in setting change processing) In the embodiments described above, as illustrated in steps S304 of Figures 8 and 18, and steps S405 and S406 of Figure 19, examples of varying the degree of settings according to a predetermined setting for a specific user were explained, such as varying the degree of resources (number of servers, etc.) and the degree of information (number of synchronizations, etc.). However, the approach is not limited to these examples; the degree of setting variation performed when a specific user enters the room may be uniform. In other words, for a specific user, a fixed process may be performed regardless of the associated evaluation index or attribute number. For example, whether user ID "u2" or user ID "u7" logs in in Figure 7(A), the number of servers to be increased may be 3. Alternatively, the number of synchronizations may be set to 3 regardless of whether "u2" or "u7" logs in.

[0254] Alternatively, the degree to which settings change for a specific user may be calculated each time a particular user enters the room. For example, the degree of change may be calculated each time using a predetermined formula that defines the evaluation index of the specific user at the time of entry and the current resource utilization rate as variables.

[0255] (Regarding cases where multiple specific users log in) In the above-described embodiment, the setting change processing may be configured such that, when multiple specific users enter the virtual room, the degree of change in resources and information volume is calculated based on the degree of change in settings by the specific user who has already entered and the degree of change in settings by the specific user who entered later, and the control unit 130 performs processing according to the calculation result in response to the entry of the specific user. For example, if user ID "u2" in Figure 7 has entered the virtual space, and then user ID "u8" enters, the degree of change may be calculated using a criterion that combines their respective evaluation indices, "5" and "3". For example, the degree of resources and information volume may be determined according to the evaluation index resulting from the sum of the evaluation indices, or the degree of resources and information volume may be determined according to the higher evaluation index. For example, if a user with an evaluation index of "3" has already entered the room, and then a user with an evaluation index of "5" enters, the settings have already been adjusted according to the evaluation index of "3". However, the settings may be adjusted according to the evaluation index of "5" (for example, increasing the number of servers from the maximum number of servers corresponding to the evaluation index of "3" to the maximum number of servers corresponding to the evaluation index of "5"). Also, for example, if a user with an evaluation index of "5" has already entered the room, and then a user with an evaluation index lower than "5," such as "3," the settings may not be adjusted again because the settings have already been adjusted according to the evaluation index of "5". Alternatively, the degree of resources or the amount of information may be determined by adding half of the lower evaluation index to the higher evaluation index, and the degree of adjustment may be calculated using a predetermined calculation formula with each evaluation index as a variable.

[0256] (Regarding the processing of setting changes based on content load) The setting change process in the above embodiment may be performed according to the load for each content provided by the distribution server 100. For example, when a specific user enters a room where chat-only content with a relatively light load is provided, the degree of increase in resources and the degree of decrease in the distribution amount may be made larger when the user enters a room where game content with a larger load is provided than when the user enters a room where chat-only content with a relatively light load is provided.

[0257] Also, in the virtual space, the settings may be changed according to the movement of a specific user's room. For example, in the case of server enhancement processing, when a specific user moves from a room where chat-only content is provided (the resources of the server may have already been increased according to the room where the chat-only content is provided) to a room where game content is provided, the process may be performed so that the resources of the server corresponding to the game content are increased. Also, the resources of the server in the room where the chat-only content that the user entered before moving is provided may be reduced. Alternatively, when moving from a room where game content is provided to a room where chat-only content is provided, the resources of the server in the room where the game content that the user entered before moving is provided may be reduced. Note that the room includes rooms corresponding to an area, rooms that can be transitioned by selecting content or the like within an area, rooms that can be transitioned through a portal within an area, and rooms provided regardless of the area.

[0258] Also, in the case of the distribution information amount change process, for example, when a specific user moves from a room where chat-only content is provided to a room with a heavy load where game content is provided, a process for reducing the amount of information distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal may be performed. For example, in a room where chat-only content is provided, since the processing burden is relatively light, no setting change process may be performed, and if the user moves to a room with heavy-load content, a setting change process may be performed.

[0259] (Regarding the relationship between areas and rooms) Regarding the relationship between areas and rooms in the virtual space in the above-described embodiment, it is not limited to the case where one type of room is defined for an area, and a plurality of different types of rooms may be defined according to the content provided in the area. For example, in an area imitating a town, it may be possible to transition from a room imitating the town to a room where different content is provided through a portal provided in the room or by an operation such as selecting game content.

[0260] In the above-described embodiment, referring to FIG. 18, an example in which the number of servers may be increased in steps S302 and S304 to increase the number of rooms has been described. The rooms to be increased may be, for example, when a user enters a room, the user is automatically associated with each room by a load balancing function (for example, on the screen of FIG. 9(C), if the user only selects an area, the room to enter is automatically determined), and the entry process may be performed so that the number of people in each room is evenly distributed without being biased to one room. Then, when the number of people in a room exceeds the upper limit number (when it is full or when a predetermined number of people before becoming full is reached), the number of servers may be increased to increase the number of rooms. Also, even if rooms are automatically assigned, if a room ID is entered in the room ID input area 27, it may be possible to enter the room with the entered room ID.

[0261] (Regarding an example of a server) The server in the above-described embodiment may be any device having the function of a server, and includes, for example, a physical server, a server configured by virtualization technology, and the like. Examples of servers configured by virtualization technology include host OS type virtualization, hypervisor type virtualization, container type virtualization, and the like. Also, all or part of various servers may be configured on a cloud service (on a cloud system) which is an infrastructure configured by virtualization technology. For example, different servers may be defined for each function or content.

[0262] For example, in the case of a container-based virtualization server, one container or multiple containers are defined as one server, and the number of servers being executed is controlled to increase. For example, when the login authentication device 101 detects that a specific user, a talent, has logged in, it sends a command to the server management device 105 to increase the number of containers being executed by the login authentication device 101. This increases the number of containers (servers) that function as the login authentication device 101 (increasing the amount of CPU and memory allocated, which are computer resources), and improves the processing performance of the server.

[0263] (Regarding processing of fluctuations in the amount of information distributed) In the embodiment described above, regarding the reduction in the amount of information itself when it is delivered from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal, as explained in steps S403 and S404 of Figure 19, an example of reducing the rendering information of the virtual space was described. The rendering information to be reduced includes, for example, reducing the number of user avatars. For example, in a room, user avatars located at a predetermined distance from the user avatar being operated will be displayed, but user avatars located further away than the predetermined distance will not be displayed. However, user avatars of specific users such as talents, or friends (for example, users being followed), may be displayed even if they are further away than the predetermined distance.

[0264] Alternatively, the distribution server 100 may send to the user terminal a list of users who are in the same room, which includes user-specific information (information indicating whether or not a user has been selected) that identifies users the user has previously selected to follow, as stored in the distribution server 100, and information to identify the specific user. The user terminal can then extract the IDs of the followed users and the specific user, and request the distribution server 100 to display only the avatars of the extracted users as avatars of other users. This reduces the processing burden on both the distribution server 100 and the user terminal.

[0265] Furthermore, the data distribution volume fluctuation processing may involve either processing to reduce the amount of information requested from the user terminal (such as the processing to send information to reduce the number of synchronization signal transmissions in steps S402 and S405 of Figure 19) or reducing the amount of information itself distributed to the user terminal (such as steps S403 and S406 of Figure 19). Either process may be executed first, or they may be executed simultaneously. Moreover, the process is not limited to executing both processes simultaneously; they may be executed in stages depending on the load situation or a specific user. For example, if the load is relatively light even when it is heavy, or if a user with a relatively low evaluation index logs in, the process to reduce the number of synchronizations may be executed. If the load is heavy even when it is heavy, exceeding a predetermined threshold, or if a user with a high evaluation index logs in, in addition to reducing the number of synchronizations, the amount of information itself distributed from the distribution server 100 to the user terminal may also be reduced.

[0266] <About User Terminals> In the embodiment described above, the user terminal operated by the specific user may be user terminal 300 or distribution user terminal 400. Furthermore, the specific user may enter the virtual space using a dedicated application different from the applications installed on other users' user terminals.

[0267] <Regarding the room you will be entering> In the embodiment described above, we explained an example in which a user can enter a room by logging into the virtual space from a screen such as Figure 9(A) or (B), and then selecting a room corresponding to each area from a screen such as Figure 9(C). However, the system is not limited to this, and a room may be automatically assigned (associated) upon logging into the virtual space. Alternatively, in Figure 9(C), a room may be automatically assigned by the load balancing function upon selecting an area.

[0268] <Example of execution order for room entry notification processing and setting change processing> In the embodiments described above, the entry notification process shown in Figure 12 and the configuration change process of the distribution server 100 shown in Figures 18 and 19 may be performed in any order, or they may be performed simultaneously. For example, when the login authentication device 101, as illustrated in Figure 16, performs login authentication for a specific user, the login authentication device 101 may first send an execution command to the server management device 105, and then send information to the notification management device 104 to notify it that the specific user has logged in.

[0269] Furthermore, the configuration change processing, namely the virtual space provider server enhancement processing and the distribution information volume change processing, may be executed individually or both depending on the load situation or a specific user who has entered the room. Alternatively, one may be executed preferentially, and both may be executed depending on the load situation or a specific user who has entered the room. For example, the configuration change processing for distribution server 100 may be executed when a specific user logs in, and the entry notification processing may be performed when a specific user enters any room.

[0270] [Examples of implementation using software] The various control blocks of the control unit in the server, terminal, or other computer in the embodiments described above may be implemented by logic circuits (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip), or by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit). When implemented by software using a CPU, the computer equipped with the control unit includes a CPU that executes instructions for a program which is software that realizes each function, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or storage device (collectively referred to as a "recording medium") on which the program and various data are recorded in a readable format for the computer (or CPU), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) for loading the program. The object of the present invention is achieved when the computer (or CPU) reads the program from the recording medium and executes it. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium" such as tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, or programmable logic circuit can be used. The program may also be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communication network or broadcast wave). One aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0271] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of this invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0272] 1 Communication system, 2 Network, 100 Distribution servers, 200 Administrator terminals, 300 User terminals, 400 Distribution user terminals, 500 Specific user information media management server

Claims

1. A program that causes a computer to perform processing based on the user's access status to a virtual space, The aforementioned computer, A setting means that performs processing to enable a specific user to configure whether or not to notify other users when that specific user enters the virtual space, A program that functions as a notification means, enabling the execution of a process to notify other users that a specific user has entered the virtual space when that specific user has entered the virtual space and the user's settings are configured to notify other users.

2. A method for causing a computer to perform processing based on the user's access status to a virtual space, The process includes a step of enabling a specific user to configure whether or not to notify other users when that specific user enters the virtual space, A method comprising the step of enabling a process to notify other users that a specific user has entered the virtual space when the specific user's settings state is such that the user has notified other users.

3. A system equipped with a computer that performs processing based on the user's access status to a virtual space, A setting means that performs processing to enable a specific user to configure whether or not to notify other users when that specific user enters the virtual space, A system comprising notification means that enables the execution of a process to notify other users that a specific user has entered the virtual space when the specific user's settings state is such that the user has notified other users.

Images