Content distribution system

Abstract

Providing technology that increases the likelihood of delivering content relevant to what users are looking for. [Solution] A content distribution system is configured comprising: a destination information acquisition unit that acquires destination information indicating a destination set by the user; a distance acquisition unit that acquires the distance from the starting point to the destination; and a content distribution unit that estimates the user's purpose based on the destination information and the distance, and delivers content associated with the estimated user's purpose to the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a content distribution system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes that the information providing location where advertisement information is provided changes according to the progress of the vehicle's movement to the destination.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] For example, when heading to an event venue, the user may set the destination of the navigation to a location other than the event venue itself (e.g., a convenience store around the event venue). Even when the user does not set the destination as the location where the intended action can be performed, it is desirable to be able to provide content related to the intended action. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a technology that enhances the possibility of providing content related to what the user intends to do.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To achieve the above object, a content distribution system includes a destination information acquisition unit that acquires destination information indicating the destination set by the user, a distance acquisition unit that acquires the distance from the departure place to the destination, and a content distribution unit that estimates the user's purpose based on the destination information and the distance and distributes to the user the content associated with the estimated user's purpose.

[0006] In other words, the content distribution system estimates the user's purpose based on destination information and the distance from the origin to the destination, and delivers content to the user that corresponds to that purpose. Therefore, even if the user has not set a destination where they can do what they intend to do, the likelihood of providing content related to that purpose can be increased. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing the configuration of the content distribution system. [Figure 2] Figure 2A shows an example of facility data, Figure 2B shows an example of event information, Figure 2C shows an example of content information, and Figure 2D shows an example of a specific genre and threshold distance. [Figure 3] Flowchart for content delivery processing. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) Content distribution system configuration: (2) Content distribution processing: (3) Other embodiments:

[0009] (1) Content distribution system configuration: Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the content distribution system 10 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the content distribution system 10 cooperates with a user terminal 100 operated by a user. When the user of the user terminal 100 has the user terminal 100 perform route guidance to a destination, the content distribution system 10 distributes content to the user terminal 100 and provides the content to the user of the user terminal 100.

[0010] The user terminal 100 may be a portable terminal such as a smartphone or tablet, or an in-vehicle terminal mounted in a vehicle. The user terminal 100 includes a control unit 120, a recording medium (not shown), a communication unit 140, a GNSS receiver 141, a UI unit 142, etc. The communication unit 140 includes a communication circuit for communicating with other devices according to various protocols. In this embodiment, the user terminal 100 can communicate with the content distribution system 10 via the communication unit 140.

[0011] The GNSS receiver 141 receives radio waves from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellite and outputs a signal to calculate the current location of the user terminal 100 via an interface (not shown). The control unit 120 periodically acquires the current location of the user terminal 100 based on this signal.

[0012] The UI unit 142 is an interface unit that receives instructions from the user and provides the user with various information, and is equipped with a touch panel display, switches, speakers, a microphone, etc.

[0013] The control unit 120 is equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and can execute various programs recorded in the ROM or a recording medium (not shown). In this embodiment, the control unit 120 can execute a navigation program 121 and a content display program 122.

[0014] Navigation program 121 enables the control unit 120 to perform functions such as searching for a route to the destination and guiding the vehicle along that route. By executing navigation program 121, the control unit 120 obtains the destination set by the user operating the UI unit 142. The control unit 120 searches for a route from the current location to the destination based on map information recorded on a recording medium (not shown). The current location at the time of the route search is the starting point of the searched route.

[0015] Map information includes node data, link data, shape interpolation point data, and facility data. Node data indicates the location of intersections. Link data indicates road sections and is associated with nodes corresponding to the endpoints of those road sections. In other words, link data indicates the links connecting nodes. Link data is associated with shape interpolation point data, which indicates the location of shape interpolation points used to identify the shape of roads between nodes. Facility data indicates facilities located around roads, etc. Figure 2A shows an example of facility data. In facility data, the facility ID is associated with the facility's location, name, genre, and available hours (business hours). Available hours include information on the day of the week and date. Note that there may be facilities for which available hours are not associated and stored.

[0016] When a destination is set, the control unit 120 performs a route search to obtain the planned route. The control unit 120 obtains the distance from the starting point to the destination by calculating the sum of the lengths of the road sections that make up the planned route. The control unit 20 also calculates the time required to travel the planned route at the assumed vehicle speed and adds this to the current date and time to calculate the estimated arrival date and time at the destination. The control unit 120 transmits the destination, the distance from the starting point to the destination, and the estimated arrival date and time to the content distribution system 10. As will be described later, the content distribution system 10 estimates the user's purpose based on the destination information indicating the destination and the distance from the starting point to the destination, and distributes content related to the estimated purpose to the user terminal 100.

[0017] The content display program 122 enables the control unit 120 to output content distributed from the content distribution system 10 to the UI unit 142. In this embodiment, when the control unit 120 starts route guidance by the navigation program 121, it displays the content on the display of the UI unit 142. If the content is in video format, audio is also output from the speaker. The content may also consist of audio only, without any visual information.

[0018] Next, the configuration of the content delivery system 10 will be described. The content delivery system 10 includes a control unit 20 having a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, etc., a recording medium 30, and a communication unit 40, and the control unit 20 can execute programs stored in the recording medium 30 and the ROM. In this embodiment, a content delivery program 21 can be executed as this program. The communication unit 40 includes a circuit for communicating with other devices, and in this embodiment, the content delivery system 10 can communicate with the user terminal 100.

[0019] The recording medium 30 stores map information 30a, event information 30b, and content information 30c. The map information 30a has the same configuration as the map information used in the user terminal 100.

[0020] The event information 30b includes information indicating events that are currently being held or are scheduled to be held in the future. FIG. 2B shows an example of the event information 30b. In this embodiment, the event information 30b stores the event holding date and time, the facility ID of the holding place, the event name, the content of the event, etc. in association with each other. The control unit 20 acquires an event that is held within a predetermined time from the scheduled arrival date and time at the destination, either at the destination or around the destination, based on the facility data (FIG. 2A) of the map information 30a and the event information 30b (FIG. 2B).

[0021] The content information 30c includes content data of various genres composed of images, videos, etc. FIG. 2C is a diagram showing an example of the content information 30c. In this embodiment, the content information 30c stores content data in the form of images, videos, voices, etc. in association with the genre, keyword, etc. of the content indicated by the content data.

[0022] By executing the content distribution program 21, the control unit 20 functions as a destination information acquisition unit 21a, a distance acquisition unit 21b, and a content distribution unit 21c. Through the function of the destination information acquisition unit 21a, the control unit 20 acquires destination information indicating the destination set by the user. That is, the control unit 20 acquires, by referring to the map information 30a, the genre of the facility at the destination set by the user, which is transmitted from the user terminal 100. Also, the control unit 20 acquires, by referring to the map information 30a, the available time of the facility.

[0023] Through the function of the distance acquisition unit 21b, the control unit 20 acquires the distance from the departure place to the destination. In this embodiment, the control unit 20 acquires, from the user terminal 100, the route length of the route searched on the user terminal 100 as the distance from the departure place to the destination. Also, the control unit 20 acquires the scheduled arrival date and time obtained as a result of the search on the user terminal 100.

[0024] Through the function of the content distribution unit 21c, the control unit 20 estimates the user's purpose based on the destination information and the distance, and distributes to the user the content associated with the estimated user's purpose. That is, the control unit 20 determines, based on the attribute of the destination and the distance to the destination, whether the user's purpose is corresponding to the set destination. It is judged whether it is highly likely or unlikely that the user would visit the destination itself even after traveling such a distance. For example, when going to watch a baseball game at a stadium, the destination may be set not to the stadium itself but to a parking lot around the stadium. Or there may be cases where other facilities around the stadium, such as a convenience store, are set as the destination in order to know a rough route to the stadium. In such cases, distributing content related to the parking lot or convenience store set as the destination may not have a sufficient promotional effect on the user because it is different from the content related to what the user originally aims for. Therefore, the control unit 20 determines, based on the attribute of the destination and the distance to the destination, whether the purpose corresponding to the set destination is the main purpose of the user or the ultimate purpose of this movement.

[0025] In this embodiment, if the destination falls under a specific genre and the distance to the destination is greater than or equal to a threshold distance, the control unit 20 considers the set destination not to be a facility where the user can perform their intended purpose. The specific genre and the corresponding threshold distance are predetermined. Figure 2D shows an example of a specific genre and threshold distance. For example, a convenience store may be located near the starting point without requiring long-distance travel, so if a user travels a long distance to visit a convenience store, there may be other primary purposes for the trip besides visiting the convenience store. As shown in Figure 2D, different threshold distances may be set depending on the genre of the destination. By setting threshold distances according to the genre, the destination can be estimated using threshold distances adjusted to improve the accuracy of estimating the user's purpose. Note that facility genres that indicate a facility that is likely to be the primary purpose after travel do not fall under specific genres. For example, tourist destinations and leisure facilities do not fall under specific genres.

[0026] If the control unit 20 determines that the set destination is not a facility where the user's purpose can be fulfilled, it searches for surrounding facilities of a different genre than the destination, located within a predetermined range of the destination, by referring to the map information 30a. Specifically, the control unit 20 refers to the map information 30a and searches for surrounding facilities of a different genre than the destination, located within a predetermined range based on the set destination. In this process, the control unit 20 excludes facilities from selection if the facility data (Figure 2A) has available hours set and the scheduled arrival date and time at the destination (or any period between the scheduled arrival date and time and a predetermined time) is not within the available hours. The control unit 20 then obtains the purpose corresponding to the surrounding facilities obtained as a result of the search as the user's purpose. The purpose corresponding to the surrounding facilities may be an activity that can be performed at the facility or the facility itself, and may include, for example, the facility's genre, keywords pre-associated with the facility genre, the facility name (which may also be a place name or spot name), or keywords pre-associated with the facility name. Specifically, for example, if the set destination is a convenience store, and the control unit 20 determines that the convenience store is not a facility where the user can fulfill their ultimate objective, and there are photogenic spots around the convenience store, the control unit 20 considers taking photos, the scenery of the spots, and the names of the spots as the user's objective. The control unit 20 searches the content recorded in the content information 30c in association with keywords indicating the actions, objects, place names, or facility names that the user has considered to be their objective, and distributes the content data file to the user terminal 100. In this way, the control unit 20 can provide content related to facilities around the destination when the user sets a facility of a specific genre that is located more than a threshold distance away as their destination.

[0027] Alternatively, the control unit 20 refers to event information 30b and searches for events taking place within a predetermined time frame from the scheduled arrival date and time at the destination, at nearby facilities within a predetermined range based on the set destination. The control unit 20 acquires the content of the events obtained as a result of the search for the user's purpose. The control unit 20 then delivers content associated with the content of the event to the user terminal 100. The content of the event is information that indicates what the event is, and consists of keywords such as the event genre, event organizer, performers, contestants, participants, and participating team names.

[0028] Specifically, for example, if the destination is set to a convenience store called F-Mart, and the distance from the departure point to the destination is greater than or equal to the threshold distance for convenience stores shown in Figure 2D, the control unit 20 identifies surrounding facilities other than convenience stores within the predetermined range of the F-Mart based on the facility data in map information 30a (see Figure 2A). For example, if Stadium A is found to be a surrounding facility that meets this condition, the control unit 20 refers to event information 30b (see Figure 2B) and searches for events taking place at Stadium A within a predetermined time frame from the scheduled arrival date and time. If the event that meets this condition is, for example, a professional baseball official game as shown in Figure 2B, the control unit 20 refers to content information 30c (see Figure 2C) that matches at least one keyword indicating the content of the event, and sends the content data file of that content to the user terminal 100.

[0029] For example, if it is estimated that the user will be going to Stadium A to watch a baseball game, according to this embodiment, the control unit 20 can provide the user with various baseball-related content immediately after the destination is set. As a result, it is possible to boost the mood of the user and their companions, increase their interest, and enhance the promotional effect. In this way, by delivering content related to events taking place at facilities around the destination within a predetermined time from the scheduled arrival date and time of the destination, it is possible to increase the likelihood of providing content that is of interest to the user.

[0030] If the destination's genre is not a specific genre, or if the distance is less than a threshold distance, the control unit 20 acquires the purpose corresponding to the destination as the user's purpose. The purpose corresponding to the destination is an action that can be performed at the destination or the destination itself, and may include, for example, the destination's facility genre, keywords pre-associated with the facility genre, the facility name (which may also be a place name or spot name), or keywords pre-associated with the facility name. As an example of a case where the distance is less than a threshold distance, if the specific genre includes convenience stores and the threshold distance for convenience stores is 20km, and F-Mart, a convenience store less than 20km from the departure point, is set as the destination, the control unit 20 searches the content information 30c for content that includes convenience stores as a facility genre or F-Mart as an individual convenience store chain, and delivers it to the user terminal 100. Another example of a destination genre that is not a specific genre is when, for instance, campgrounds or golf courses are not included in the specific genre. If a campground or golf course is set as the destination, the control unit 20 searches for content containing campgrounds or golf courses in the content information 30c and delivers it to the user terminal 100.

[0031] Furthermore, even if the destination is not a specific genre, or if the distance is less than a threshold distance, if the scheduled arrival date and time at the destination falls outside the operating hours of the facility set as the destination, the control unit 20 searches for surrounding facilities within a predetermined range of the destination that are available during the scheduled arrival date and time (or even within a predetermined period from then), estimates the purpose to be the surrounding facilities or the activities or items that can be done at those facilities, and delivers content corresponding to that purpose to the user terminal 100. For example, even if a drugstore less than a threshold distance from the departure point is set as the destination, if the scheduled arrival date and time falls outside the operating hours of that drugstore, surrounding facilities that are available during the scheduled arrival date and time will be searched for.

[0032] As described above, according to this embodiment, even if the user has not set a destination where they can perform their intended task, the likelihood of being able to provide content related to that task can be increased.

[0033] (2) Content distribution processing: Next, the content distribution process performed by the control unit 20 will be explained with reference to Figure 3. The content distribution process is performed when the user of the user terminal 100 executes the navigation program 121 on the user terminal 100 and the content distribution system 10 receives the destination set by the user. When the content distribution process starts, the control unit 20 acquires destination information using the functions of the destination information acquisition unit 21a (step S100). That is, the control unit 20 acquires the genre and availability time of the facility at the destination set by the user, which has been transmitted from the user terminal 100, by referring to the map information 30a.

[0034] Next, the control unit 20 acquires the distance between the departure point and the destination using the function of the distance acquisition unit 21b (step S105). That is, the control unit 20 acquires the route length of the route searched on the user terminal 100 from the user terminal 100 and considers it to be the distance from the departure point to the destination. The control unit 20 also acquires the estimated date and time of arrival at the destination via the searched route from the user terminal 100.

[0035] Next, the control unit 20, using the functions of the content distribution unit 21c, determines whether the destination belongs to a specific genre and whether the distance between the origin and destination is greater than or equal to a threshold distance (step S110). That is, if the destination belongs to a specific genre, it is determined whether the distance to the destination is greater than or equal to the threshold distance corresponding to that genre. In this embodiment, genres to which the threshold distance shown in Figure 2D has been pre-associated are considered to be specific genres.

[0036] If, in step S110, it is determined that the destination belongs to a specific genre and that the distance is greater than or equal to a threshold distance, the control unit 20 uses the functions of the content distribution unit 21c to search for nearby facilities within a predetermined range of the destination, or events held at those nearby facilities (step S120), and obtains the purpose corresponding to the nearby facilities or events held at those nearby facilities obtained as a result of the search (step S125).

[0037] Specifically, the control unit 20 refers to map information 30a and searches for nearby facilities of a different genre than the destination, located within a predetermined range based on the set destination, and whose scheduled arrival time at the destination (or any time between the scheduled arrival time and a predetermined period) falls within the available hours. The control unit 20 then acquires the purpose corresponding to the nearby facilities obtained as a result of the search as the user's purpose. The control unit 20 also refers to event information 30b and searches for events taking place within a predetermined time frame from the scheduled arrival time at the destination at nearby facilities located within a predetermined range based on the set destination. The control unit 20 then acquires the content of the events obtained as a result of the search as the user's purpose.

[0038] If, in step S110, it is determined that the destination is not of a specific genre or that the distance is less than a threshold distance, the control unit 20 uses the function of the content distribution unit 21c to determine whether the scheduled arrival date and time at the destination falls within the available hours of the destination (step S112). That is, the control unit 20 determines whether, if the destination is a facility for which the available hours are set in the facility data, the scheduled arrival date and time at the destination (which may be within a predetermined time from the scheduled arrival date and time) falls within the available hours of the facility. If the facility does not have an available hours set in the facility data, the control unit 20 makes a positive determination in step S112. If it is not determined in step S112 that the destination falls within the available hours, the control unit 20 executes step S120. If it is determined in step S112 that the destination falls within the available hours, the control unit 20 obtains the purpose corresponding to the destination facility (step S115).

[0039] After executing step S115 or step S125, the control unit 20 starts route guidance on the user terminal 100 (step S130) and delivers content associated with the purpose (step S135). That is, the control unit 20 sends an instruction to the user terminal 100 to start route guidance. In response to this instruction, the user terminal 100 starts route guidance for the planned route. The control unit 20 also identifies content corresponding to the keyword indicating the purpose acquired in step S115 or step S125 based on the content information 30c and delivers the content data file of that content to the user terminal 100. As a result, the user terminal 100 plays or displays the content data based on the content data file. Note that content playback is not limited to immediately after the start of route guidance, but may be performed in response to predetermined triggers until arrival at the destination.

[0040] (3) Other embodiments: The embodiments described above are merely examples for carrying out the present invention, and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, the content distribution system may be a system implemented by multiple devices (e.g., a user terminal and a server). At least a portion of the destination information acquisition unit 21a, distance acquisition unit 21b, and content distribution unit 21c that constitute the content distribution system may be divided among multiple devices. For example, the determination of the timing for playing content, which is one of the functions of the content distribution unit 21c, may be implemented on the user terminal side.

[0041] In the distance acquisition unit, the distance from the starting point to the destination may be calculated by the server. Alternatively, the straight-line distance between the starting point and the destination may be calculated as the distance from the starting point to the destination. Furthermore, route search processing and calculation of the estimated arrival date and time may be performed on the server side.

[0042] Furthermore, the content distribution system may be implemented on the user terminal. That is, the processing of the destination information acquisition unit, the distance acquisition unit, and the content distribution unit may be completed and implemented on the user terminal. In that case, the content distribution unit of the user terminal may be configured to estimate the user's purpose and download and acquire content corresponding to the user's purpose from the content server. Some of the configurations of the above embodiments may be omitted, and the order of processing may be changed or omitted.

[0043] In the content distribution unit, if the purpose corresponding to the destination is not acquired as the estimated purpose, multiple facilities may be acquired as surrounding facilities. The system may then be configured to deliver multiple pieces of content to the user, corresponding to the purpose of each of the multiple surrounding facilities, and to the purpose of each event held at each of the multiple surrounding facilities.

[0044] The destination information that the content distribution unit uses to estimate the user's purpose is not limited to the genre of the destination facility. The content distribution unit may be configured to estimate the user's purpose based on the available hours of the destination facility as one aspect of the destination information, the distance from the departure point to the destination, and the estimated date and time of arrival at the destination. For example, if the distance to the destination is greater than or equal to a threshold distance and the estimated date and time of arrival at the destination (or a predetermined period from the estimated date and time of arrival) is not included in the available hours of the destination facility, the purpose corresponding to the facility set as the destination may be determined to be not the user's primary purpose, and the purpose of a surrounding facility within a predetermined range relative to the destination, where the estimated date and time of arrival (or a predetermined period from the estimated date and time of arrival) is within the available hours, may be configured to estimate the user's purpose. In other words, if a user travels more than a threshold distance to the destination but the destination facility is not available at the estimated date and time of arrival, the purpose corresponding to the destination facility may be considered not to be the user's primary purpose.

[0045] Furthermore, the methods of the present invention can also be applied as programs and methods. Moreover, such systems, programs, and methods may be implemented as standalone devices, or they may be implemented using parts shared with various components of a vehicle, encompassing a variety of embodiments. They can also be modified as appropriate, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the invention also functions as a recording medium for a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium for the program may be a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or any recording medium developed in the future can be considered in exactly the same way. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 10...Content distribution system, 20...Control unit, 21...Content distribution program, 21a...Destination information acquisition unit, 21b...Distance acquisition unit, 21c...Content distribution unit, 30...Recording medium, 30a...Map information, 30b...Event information, 30c...Content information, 40...Communication unit, 100...User terminal, 120...Control unit, 121...Navigation program, 122...Content display program, 140...Communication unit, 141...GNSS receiver unit, 142...UI unit

Claims

1. A destination information acquisition unit that acquires destination information indicating the destination set by the user, A distance acquisition unit that acquires the distance from the starting point to the destination, A content distribution unit that estimates the user's purpose based on the destination information and the distance, and delivers content to the user that corresponds to the estimated user's purpose, A content distribution system equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned content distribution unit, If the genre of the destination is a specific genre and the distance is greater than or equal to a threshold distance, the purpose of a surrounding facility other than the genre of the destination that is within the predetermined range of the destination is acquired as the user's purpose. If the genre of the destination is not the specified genre, or if the distance is less than the threshold distance, the purpose corresponding to the destination is acquired as the user's purpose. The content distribution system according to claim 1.

3. The threshold distance varies depending on the genre of the destination. The content distribution system according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned content distribution unit, When the purpose corresponding to the aforementioned surrounding facilities is obtained as the user's purpose, content corresponding to the events taking place at the aforementioned surrounding facilities is delivered to the user within a predetermined time frame from the scheduled arrival date and time of the destination. The content distribution system according to claim 2.

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