Programs, information processing methods, terminals

Abstract

To improve the convenience of booking services based on your itinerary. [Solution] The program to be executed on the terminal is to display the itinerary and objects related to the services based on the itinerary on the terminal's display unit via a chat application, and based on user input on the terminal to the objects, the service is reserved in the reservation service linked to the chat service of the chat application, and the chat application displays reservation information on the display unit regarding the reservation of the service in the reservation service.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to programs, information processing methods, terminals, etc.

Background Art

[0002] For example, there are cases where a user plans to travel and plans a travel itinerary. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a travel plan creation system for proposing a travel that matches the preferences of each individual user.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to the first aspect of the present invention, a program for causing a terminal to execute causes the terminal to display, on a display unit of the terminal, a travel itinerary and an object related to services based on the travel itinerary by a chat application, and based on an input by a user of the terminal to the object, reserve a service with a reservation service linked to the chat service of the chat application, and cause the terminal to display, on the display unit, reservation information regarding that the service has been reserved with the reservation service by the chat application. According to the second aspect of the present invention, an information processing method of a terminal includes displaying, on a display unit of the terminal, a travel itinerary and an object related to services based on the travel itinerary by a chat application, and based on an input by a user of the terminal to the object, reserving a service with a reservation service linked to the chat service of the chat application, and causing the chat application to display, on the display unit, reservation information regarding that the service has been reserved with the reservation service. According to a third aspect of the present invention, the terminal includes a display unit that displays an itinerary and an object related to a service based on the itinerary via a chat application, and based on user input to the object, a service is reserved in a reservation service linked to the chat service of the chat application, and the chat application displays reservation information regarding the reservation of the service in the reservation service. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0005] [Figure 1-1] A diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a communication system according to the embodiment. [Figure 1-2] A diagram showing an example of a function realized by the control unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 1-3] A diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 1-4] A diagram showing an example of account registration data related to the embodiment. [Figure 1-5] A diagram showing an example of a function realized by the control unit of the terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 1-6] A diagram showing an example of information stored in the memory unit of the terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 1-7] A diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of a terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 1-8] A diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of a terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 1-9] A flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by each device in the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0006] <Compliance with legal matters> Please note that the disclosures described herein are subject to compliance with the laws of the implementing country, including the confidentiality of communications, which are necessary for the implementation of these disclosures.

[0007] <Embodiment> In this specification, there are instances where the phrase "for example" is used for clarity, but please note that this does not limit the content of the descriptions in those instances to the entire set of embodiments described below.

[0008] Embodiments for implementing the program etc. related to this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] The production of the terminal of the claimed invention (the terminal of the claimed invention) may include the concept that, for example, a state is created in which the functions of the claimed invention become achievable in the terminal when the program described herein (e.g., an application program) is received (or received and stored in the terminal) on a terminal owned (possessed) by a user, thereby creating a state in which the functions of the claimed invention become achievable (a state is created in which the claimed invention becomes executable).

[0010] Furthermore, the production of the system of the claimed invention (the system of the claimed invention) may also include the concept that, for example, a state is created in which the function of the claimed system becomes achievable (a state is created in which the claimed invention becomes executable) by receiving a program described herein (e.g., an application program) transmitted from a server included in the system to a terminal included in the system (or by the received program being stored in the terminal).

[0011] Furthermore, in this specification, a system may be defined as having, for example, multiple devices. Multiple devices may be a combination of devices of the same type, a combination of devices of different types, or a combination of devices of the same type and devices of different types. Furthermore, a system can also be thought of as, for example, a system in which multiple devices work together to perform some kind of processing.

[0012] Also, a system related to a client (client device) and a server can be considered, for example, as any of at least the following. (1) Terminal & Server (2) Server (3) Terminal

[0013] (1) is, for example, a system including at least one terminal and at least one server. An example of this is a client-server system.

[0014] The server is configured, for example, by any of the following devices, and may be a single device or a combination of multiple devices.

[0015] Specifically, the server is configured to have, for example, at least one processor (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, APU: Accelerated Processing Unit, DSP: Digital Signal Processor (e.g., ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array), etc.), a computer device (processor + memory), a control device, an arithmetic device, a processing device, etc. It may have a configuration with multiple of the same type of any one device (e.g., CPU + CPU, homogeneous multi-core processor, etc.) or a configuration with multiple different types of any one device (e.g., CPU + DSP, heterogeneous multi-core processor, etc.), or a combination of multiple devices (e.g., processor + computer device, processor + arithmetic device, a combination of multiple devices made heterogeneous, etc.). Note that the processor may be a virtual processor.

[0016] Also, when the server executes some processing, if it is composed of a single device, the processing described in the embodiments is executed by the single device. Also, when it is composed of multiple devices, some processing may be executed by one device and other processing may be executed by the other device. For example, when it is composed of a processor and an arithmetic unit, the first processing may be executed by the processor and the second processing may be executed by the arithmetic unit. Also, when it is composed of multiple devices, each device may be arranged at physically separated positions from each other.

[0017] Also, the functions of the server may be provided, for example, in the form of PaaS, IaaS, or SaaS in cloud computing.

[0018] Also, the control unit of the system can be at least one of the control unit of the terminal and the control unit of the server. That is, for example, any one of (1A) only the control unit of the terminal, (1B) only the control unit of the server, and (1C) both the control unit of the terminal and the control unit of the server can be the control unit of the system.

[0019] Also, the control and processing performed by the control unit of the system (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "control etc.") may be performed (1A) only by the control unit of the terminal, (1B) only by the control unit of the server, or (1C) by both the control unit of the terminal and the control unit of the server. Also, in (1C), for example, some of the control etc. performed by the system by the control unit may be performed by the control unit of the terminal, and the remaining control etc. may be performed by the control unit of the server. In this case, the allocation (assignment) of the control etc. may be equal or may be assigned at different ratios instead of being equal.

[0020] Furthermore, when referring to the server's communication unit, if the server is composed of a single device, it may refer to the communication unit itself provided by that single device. Also, if the server is composed of multiple devices, the server's communication unit may include the communication units provided by each of those devices. For example, if a server comprises a first device and a second device, with the first device having a first communication unit and the second device having a second communication unit, the communication unit of the server may be considered a concept that includes both the first and second communication units.

[0021] (2) can be, for example, a system consisting of multiple servers (hereinafter referred to as the "server system"). In this case, the configuration described above can be applied to each server in the same way.

[0022] The control and other functions performed by the server system may be performed by (2A) only one server, (2B) only the other servers, or (2C) one server and the other servers. Furthermore, in (2C), for example, one server may perform some of the control functions that the server system would normally perform, while other servers perform the remaining functions. In this case, the allocation of the controls may be equal, or they may be allocated in different proportions.

[0023] (3) can be, for example, a system composed of multiple terminals. This system can be, for example, as follows: A system that assigns server functions to terminals (a distributed system). This can be achieved, for example, using blockchain technology. A system in which terminals communicate wirelessly with each other. This can be achieved, for example, by using short-range wireless communication technologies such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) to communicate in a P2P (peer-to-peer) manner.

[0024] Furthermore, the above applies not only to the control unit but also to each functional unit that can be a component of the system, such as the input / output unit, communication unit, memory unit, and clock unit.

[0025] In the following embodiments, for example, a system including a terminal and a server (e.g., a client-server system) is illustrated. Furthermore, it is also possible to apply the server system described in (2) above as the server.

[0026] Furthermore, instead of a system that includes terminals and servers, it is also possible to apply a system that does not include servers, such as the system described in (3) above. In this case, the embodiment can be configured based on the aforementioned blockchain technology. Specifically, for example, data stored and managed on the server described in the following embodiment is stored on the blockchain. Then, when a terminal generates a transaction to the blockchain and the transaction is approved on the blockchain, the data stored on the blockchain is updated.

[0027] Furthermore, even when the term "terminal" is used, it is not limited to the meaning of a terminal as a client device in a client-server system. In other words, the term "terminal" can sometimes include the concept of a device that is not part of a client-server relationship.

[0028] Furthermore, the expression "by communication I / F" is used as appropriate in this specification. This may, for example, indicate that the device transmits and receives various information and data via a communication I / F (via a communication unit) based on the control of a control unit (such as a processor).

[0029] Furthermore, in this specification, terms such as "related to" or "concerning" may refer to "B concerning A" or "B related to A," for example, "B" which has some kind of relationship with "A." Specific examples will be given later.

[0030] Furthermore, in this specification, when a device processes two or more things, such as "transmitting A and B" or "receiving A and B," it may include both cases where "A" and "B" are performed at the same time (hereinafter referred to as "simultaneous") and cases where "A" and "B" are performed at different times (hereinafter referred to as "non-simultaneous"). For example, when transmitting first information and second information, the concept may include both cases: transmitting first information and second information at the same time, and transmitting first information and second information at different times. Furthermore, taking into consideration lag (time lag), "simultaneous" may include "almost simultaneous."

[0031] Furthermore, even if "A" and "B" are performed at different times, this only requires that the processing targets "A" and "B," and their purposes do not necessarily have to be the same. For example, when transmitting the first piece of information and the second piece of information as described above, it is sufficient to simply transmit the first piece of information and the second piece of information, and this may include cases where the first piece of information and the second piece of information are transmitted for different purposes, as well as cases where they are transmitted for the same purpose.

[0032] In the following examples, a messaging service is given as an example of a service for users to chat (hereinafter referred to as the "chat service"). Furthermore, an application for implementing the chat service is referred to as a "chat application," and an application for implementing the messaging service is referred to as a "messaging application." A chat application, for example, can allow users to chat in a chat room.

[0033] Furthermore, messaging services (MS) (including instant messaging services: IMS) can be considered a form of social networking services (SNS). Therefore, a distinction may or may not be made between messaging services and social networking services. In other words, messaging services may be included within the definition of social networking services.

[0034] Furthermore, the following embodiment illustrates an example of a messaging service: IMS (Instant Messaging Service), which enables the sending and receiving of simple messages between multiple devices (e.g., terminals) via a server. Instant messaging applications, for example, allow users to have conversations in chat rooms.

[0035] A chat room (for example, a talk room) can be a UI (User Interface) or GUI (Graphical User Interface) that allows each user to view content sent and received between multiple users' devices.

[0036] In messaging services, users can, for example, add any account as a "friend" and exchange messages through a chat room.

[0037] Furthermore, "friends" can be defined as the relationship between a first user and a second user in a messaging application, for example, when the accounts of the first user and the second user are linked unilaterally or bidirectionally. For example, if there is a mutual association between the first user's account and the second user's account, then it can be said that the first user and the second user are "friends." Also, for example, if there is an association between the first user's account and the second user's account, then it can be said that the first user and the second user are "friends" even if there is no association between the second user's account and the first user's account.

[0038] Furthermore, the chat rooms may include one-on-one chat rooms (hereinafter referred to as "one-on-one chat rooms"), group chat rooms containing multiple users (hereinafter referred to as "group chat rooms"), and chat rooms with OA service providers (for example, businesses that partner with messaging service providers) (hereinafter referred to as "OA chat rooms").

[0039] Furthermore, an account for a messaging service (messaging application) that belongs to a business rather than a general user may be referred to as "(OA (Official Account))", and a user of such an official account may be referred to as an "official user". This may also be referred to as an "official account user" or "official account business," etc. In contrast, a messaging service account belonging to a user who is not an office automation provider is referred to as a "general account," and a user of a general account is referred to as a "general user." This may also be referred to as a "general account user," etc. In other words, messaging service accounts may include both general accounts and official accounts.

[0040] Furthermore, office automation (OA) service providers may also enable users to send and receive messages with other devices via a server, for example, by using terminals similar to those used by general account users.

[0041] Furthermore, a message (message information) may be, for example, information used in a messaging service that defines the sender and recipient, and may consist of identification information (message ID) for identifying the message and the message content. Furthermore, message content may also refer to the contents of a message excluding the message ID. Message content may consist of one or more pieces of content.

[0042] Furthermore, the information set as identification information for identifying a message is called the "message ID." It can be argued that message content contained within messages with the same message ID is identified by that message ID. Therefore, the identification information used to identify a message can be considered substantially synonymous with the identification information used to identify message content. Alternatively, you may or may not set individual identification information (message content ID) for each message content.

[0043] Content may include, for example, text content in text format, image content in image format (including at least one of still images or moving images), and sound content in sound format (including voice). In addition, other elements such as buttons and icons for user interaction, as well as link content such as URIs (including URLs), may also be included.

[0044] The text may include, for example, at least one of the following: national characters represented by character codes, extended characters, machine-dependent characters, numbers, symbols, figures, and codes. Note that the text does not have to include at least one of the above characters, extended characters, machine-dependent characters, numbers, symbols, figures, and codes, but may include other text.

[0045] An image can contain at least one of several types of image information, such as icons, buttons, stamps, emojis, or banner images.

[0046] Contrary to the above definition, it is also acceptable to define "message" as a higher-level concept than "content," or to define "content" and "message" as synonymous, or not to define them in this way.

[0047] <Embodiment> This embodiment illustrates a method for easily making reservations for services included in a travel itinerary (travel information).

[0048] Here, "itinerary" (itinerary information) may include, for example, an action plan for a trip or travel. The itinerary may also include chronological and / or spatial designations (sometimes referred to as "itinerary elements"), such as any of the following elements. The itinerary may also be called a "travel plan." • Departure location and scheduled departure time • Destination and estimated time of arrival • Transportation methods and travel time • Name and address of the accommodation facility • Tourist place names and addresses • Order of visiting tourist attractions and duration of stay • Dining location and meal content • Budget and payment methods

[0049] The following example illustrates how a travel itinerary can be generated based on a conversation with a chatbot account in a messaging service. However, this is not limited to messaging services; the itinerary generation could also be implemented in other AI dialogue systems, such as ChatGPT.

[0050] Furthermore, in the following, one example of a method for implementing the processing is the use of a question-answering system (which may also be called a "question-answering model"). The question-answering system may be a closed-book question-answering system implemented by a language model such as HyperCLOVA, GPT-4, or Llama. Alternatively, the question-answering model may be an open-book question-answering system implemented by a combination of an external knowledge retrieval model such as DPR (Dense Passage Retriever) or BPR (Binary Passage Retriever) and a language model. The question-answering system may also be capable of generating output sentences (response sentences) in conjunction with an arbitrary external database.

[0051] <Examples> This embodiment relates to a system in which a chat application generates a travel itinerary through a chat between a user on terminal 20 and a chatbot, and enables the booking of services based on that itinerary. The contents described in this embodiment are equally applicable to the modifications and other modifications described later.

[0052] In the following embodiment, for example, a service that assists in generating itineraries will be referred to as a "travel plan creation support service." Furthermore, the travel plan creation support service may be accessible, for example, through a messaging application where the user interacts with a chatbot.

[0053] Furthermore, the following forms can be applied to implement the travel plan creation support service. (A1) A form in which a travel plan creation support service function is provided as a feature of the messaging application. (A2) A form in which a messaging service is provided as one of the functions of a travel plan creation support application that provides a travel plan creation support service. (B1) Forms of an application (integrated application) that has messaging service functionality and travel plan creation support service functionality. (C1) A configuration in which the travel plan creation support application is configured as a separate application from the messaging application. (C2) A configuration in which a messaging application is configured as a separate application from the travel plan creation support application. (D) A configuration in which the travel plan creation support application is configured as a standalone application.

[0054] In the forms of (A1), (A2), and (B1), for example, the messaging service provider can be the same provider as the travel plan creation support service provider. In this case, one possible approach is to use a common account for both the user account in the messaging application and the user account in the travel plan creation support application. Alternatively, in this case, the user's account in the messaging application and the user's account in the travel plan creation support application can be automatically associated (linked).

[0055] In the forms (C1) and (C2), for example, the messaging service provider can be a different company from the travel plan creation support service provider. Furthermore, in configurations (C1) and (C2), it is possible to perform a process that associates the user's account in the messaging application with the user's account in the travel plan creation support application (a process that links them).

[0056] In the following explanation, for example, we will describe how a server 10 providing messaging services and travel plan creation support services is operated and managed by a messaging service provider, following the configuration of (A1).

[0057] Furthermore, in the following explanation, the user of terminal 20A communicating with server 10 will be referred to as "User AA," the user of terminal 20B as "User BB," the user of terminal 20C as "User CC," and so on.

[0058] <System Configuration> Figure 1-1 shows an example of the system configuration of the communication system 1 in this embodiment. In the communication system 1, for example, a server 10 and one or more terminals 20 (terminal 20A, terminal 20B, terminal 20C, ...) are connected via a network 30.

[0059] Server 10 has the function of providing services such as messaging services and travel plan creation support services to user-owned terminals 20, etc., via the network 30. Server 10 can also be described as a messaging service server, a travel plan creation support server, an SNS server, etc. In this embodiment, for example, the user of Server 10 is a company that provides messaging services or travel plan creation support services (a provider of messaging services or travel plan creation support services). Note that the number of Server 10 and the number of Terminals 20 connected to Network 30 are not limited to those described above.

[0060] In addition, although it was stated above that "a company provides ... to users of server 10," this company may include not only companies that physically own servers, but also companies that use servers they do not own (e.g., using cloud servers owned and operated by other companies) to plan and instruct the control of various parts (or parts) of server 10, including the control unit 11 described later. Furthermore, any processing performed on a server as described in this invention is not limited to processing performed by a server controlled by a single company. In other words, it is also possible for multiple companies to control one or more servers (by distributing the multiple processing described later among the servers) to realize this invention. For example, the itinerary summary generation processing described later (for example, S120 in Figure 1-9 described later) may be processed by server 10-A (not shown) controlled (planned and instructed) by company A, and the reservation processing described later (S140 in Figure 1-9 described later) may be processed by server 10-B (not shown) controlled (planned and instructed) by company B, which is different from server 10-A, and is not limited to this. Similarly, this may be implemented by processes executed on multiple servers controlled by a single company. For example, the itinerary summary generation process S120 (shown in Figure 1-9 below) may be processed by server 10-A1 (not shown) controlled by company A (planning and execution instructions), and the reservation process (shown in Figure 1-9 below) may be processed by server 10-A2 (not shown) controlled by company A (planning and execution instructions), but is physically different from server 10-A1, and is not limited to this.

[0061] In this embodiment, the "travel plan creation support service" is a service provided by a business operator (server 10) such as a company that provides travel plan creation support services, and may be provided, for example, to a user (user's terminal 20).

[0062] Terminal 20 (Terminal 20A, Terminal 20B, Terminal 20C, ...) can be any information processing terminal capable of realizing the functions described in each embodiment. Terminal 20 includes, for example, smartphones, mobile phones (feature phones), computers (e.g., desktops, laptops, tablets, etc.), media computer platforms (e.g., cable, satellite set-top boxes, digital video recorders), handheld computer devices (e.g., PDAs (personal digital assistants), email clients, etc.), wearable devices (glasses-type devices, watch-type devices, etc.), VR (Virtual Reality) terminals, smart speakers (voice recognition devices), or other types of computers or communication platforms. Terminal 20 may also be referred to as an information processing terminal.

[0063] The configurations of terminals 20A, 20B, and 20C can, for example, be identical. Furthermore, if necessary, the terminal used by user X may be referred to as terminal 20X, and user information in a predetermined service associated with user X or terminal 20X may be referred to as user information X, or not. User information refers to information about a user associated with an account used by that user in a given service. User information includes, for example, information associated with the user, such as the user's name, user icon image, user's age, user's gender, user's address, user's hobbies and preferences, and user identifier, which are entered by the user or assigned by the given service. It may consist of any one of these items, a combination thereof, or no combination thereof.

[0064] Network 30 plays the role of connecting each device that constitutes communication system 1. In other words, network 30 refers to a communication network that provides connection paths so that the various devices described above can send and receive data after they have been connected.

[0065] One or more parts of network 30 may or may not be wired or wireless networks. Network 30 may include, for example, an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), part of the internet, part of a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a mobile phone network, an integrated service digital network (ISDN), wireless LAN, LTE (long term evolution), CDMA (code division multiple access), Bluetooth (registered trademark), satellite communications, or two or more combinations thereof. Network 30 may include one or more networks 30.

[0066] Server 10 (not limited to, but an example of a server, information processing device, or information management device) has the function of providing predetermined services (in this embodiment, messaging services and travel plan creation support services) to terminals 20, etc. Server 10 may be any information processing device that can realize the functions described in each embodiment. Server 10 includes, for example, a server device, a computer (e.g., desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), a media computer platform (e.g., cable, satellite set-top box, digital video recorder), a handheld computer device (e.g., PDA, email client, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms. Server 10 may also be referred to as an information processing device. If it is not necessary to distinguish between Server 10 and Terminal 20, Server 10 and Terminal 20 may or may not be referred to as information processing devices.

[0067] [Hardware configuration of each device] The hardware configuration of each device included in communication system 1 will be described below.

[0068] (1) Terminal hardware configuration Figure 1-1 shows an example of the hardware configuration of terminal 20. Terminal 20 includes, for example, a control unit 21 (CPU: central processing unit), a storage unit 28, a communication interface 22, an input / output unit 23, a clock unit 29A, and a position calculation information detection unit 29B. Each hardware component of terminal 20 is interconnected via, for example, bus B. It is not necessary for terminal 20's hardware configuration to include all components. For example, terminal 20 may have a configuration in which individual components or multiple components are removed, or it may not.

[0069] The communication interface 22 transmits and receives various types of data via the network 30. Communication may be performed via wired or wireless connections, and any communication protocol may be used as long as communication between the interfaces is possible. The communication interface 22 has the function of communicating with various devices, such as the server 10, via the network 30. The communication interface 22 transmits various types of data to the server 10 and other devices according to instructions from the control unit 21. The communication interface 22 also receives various types of data transmitted from the server 10 and other devices and transmits them to the control unit 21. The communication interface 22 may also be simply referred to as the communication unit. Furthermore, if the communication interface 22 is composed of a physically structured circuit, it may be referred to as the communication circuit.

[0070] The input / output unit 23 includes devices for inputting various operations to the terminal 20, and devices for outputting processing results processed by the terminal 20. The input / output unit 23 may have an integrated input unit and an output unit, or it may have separate input and output units, or it may not have to be integrated.

[0071] The input unit is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of receiving user input and transmitting the information related to the input to the control unit 21. The input unit includes, for example, hardware keys such as touch panels, touch displays, and keyboards, pointing devices such as mice, cameras (operation input via video), and microphones (operation input via voice).

[0072] The output unit is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of outputting the processing results processed by the control unit 21. The output unit includes, for example, a touch panel, a touch display, a speaker (for audio output), a lens (for example, 3D output or hologram output), a printer, and the like.

[0073] This is just one example, but the input / output unit 23 may include, for instance, a display unit 24, an audio input unit 25, an audio output unit 26, and an imaging unit 27.

[0074] The display unit 24 is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of displaying data according to the display data written to the frame buffer. The display unit 24 includes, for example, touch panels, touch displays, monitors (e.g., liquid crystal displays and OLEDs (organic electroluminescence displays)), head-mounted displays (HDMs), projection mapping, holograms, and devices capable of displaying images, text information, etc., in air (which may or may not be a vacuum). These display units 24 may or may not be capable of displaying display data in 3D.

[0075] The sound input unit 25 is used for inputting sound data (including voice data; the same applies hereinafter). The sound input unit 25 includes a microphone, etc. The sound output unit 26 is used for outputting sound data. The sound output unit 26 includes a speaker and the like. The imaging unit 27 is used to acquire image data (including still image data and moving image data; the same applies hereinafter). The imaging unit 27 includes a camera, etc.

[0076] If the input / output unit 23 is a touch panel, the input / output unit 23 and the display unit 24 may be arranged facing each other and have substantially the same size and shape.

[0077] The clock unit 29A is the built-in clock of the terminal 20 and outputs time information (timing information). The clock unit 29A is configured to include, for example, a clock using a crystal oscillator. The clock unit 29A can also be described as, for example, a timing unit or a time information detection unit.

[0078] The clock unit 29A may or may not have a clock that conforms to the NITZ (Network Identity and Time Zone) standard, etc.

[0079] The position calculation information detection unit 29B is a functional unit that detects (measures) information necessary for the control unit 21 to calculate (measure) the position of its own terminal 20 (hereinafter referred to as "position calculation information"). The position calculation information detection unit 29B can also be described as, for example, a position calculation sensor unit.

[0080] The position calculation information detection unit 29B includes, for example, a satellite positioning sensor (satellite positioning unit) which is a sensor or unit for calculating the position of the terminal 20 using a satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System), an inertial measurement sensor (inertial measurement unit (IMU)) which is a sensor or unit for calculating the position of the terminal 20 using an inertial navigation system, and a UWB positioning sensor (UWB positioning unit) which is a sensor or unit for calculating the position of the terminal 20 using UWB (Ultra Wide Band).

[0081] The satellite positioning unit includes, for example, an RF receiving circuit that converts RF (Radio Frequency) signals, including positioning satellite signals transmitted from positioning satellites received by an antenna (not shown), into digital signals, and a baseband processing circuit that performs correlation calculations on the digital signals output from the RF receiving circuit to capture positioning satellite signals, and outputs information such as satellite orbit data and time data extracted from the positioning satellite signals as position calculation information.

[0082] The inertial measurement unit has inertial sensors, which are sensors that detect information necessary to calculate the position of terminal 20 by inertial navigation calculations. The inertial sensors include, for example, a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope, and output the acceleration detected by the accelerometer and the angular velocity detected by the gyroscope as position calculation information.

[0083] The UWB positioning unit includes, for example, an ultra-wideband RF (Radio Frequency) receiving circuit that converts an ultra-wideband RF signal, including a positioning ultra-wideband pulse signal transmitted from a positioning beacon received by an antenna (not shown), into a digital signal, and a relative position calculation processing circuit that calculates the relative position between the terminal 20 and the positioning beacon based on the digital signal output from the ultra-wideband RF receiving circuit. For example, the UWB positioning unit may or may not make terminal 20 function as a positioning beacon by transmitting an ultra-wideband RF signal including a positioning ultra-wideband pulse signal from an antenna (not shown).

[0084] The control unit 21 calculates the position of its own terminal 20 at regular or specific intervals, for example, based on the position calculation information detected by the position calculation information detection unit 29B. The position of the terminal is referred to as the "terminal position," and the calculated terminal position is referred to as the "calculated terminal position." The control unit 21 may or may not store the calculated terminal position in the storage unit 28 as calculated terminal position history data, associated with the date and time the calculated terminal position was calculated.

[0085] The control unit 21 has physically structured circuitry to perform functions realized by code or instructions contained within the program, and is realized, for example, by a data processing device built into the hardware. Therefore, the control unit 21 may or may not be described as a control circuit.

[0086] The control unit 21 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), and an FPGA (field programmable gate array).

[0087] The storage unit 28 has the function of storing various programs and data necessary for the operation of the terminal 20. The storage unit 28 includes various storage media such as HDD (hard disk drive), SSD (solid state drive), flash memory, RAM (random access memory), and ROM (read-only memory). The storage unit 28 may or may not be referred to as memory.

[0088] Terminal 20 stores program P in storage unit 28, and by executing program P, the control unit 21 executes the processing of each part included in the control unit 21. In other words, program P stored in storage unit 28 enables terminal 20 to realize the various functions executed by the control unit 21. Furthermore, this program P may or may not be described as a program module.

[0089] (2) Server hardware configuration Figure 1-1 shows an example of the hardware configuration of server 10. Server 10 includes, for example, a control unit 11 (CPU), a storage unit 15, a communication interface 14, an input / output unit 12, a display unit 13, and a clock unit 19. Each component of the server 10's hardware is interconnected, for example, via bus B. It should be noted that the server 10's hardware configuration does not necessarily include all components. For example, the server 10's hardware may be configured to exclude individual components or multiple components, or it may not.

[0090] The control unit 11 has physically structured circuitry to perform functions realized by code or instructions contained within the program, and is realized, for example, by a data processing device built into the hardware.

[0091] The control unit 11 is typically a central processing unit (CPU), but may also be a microprocessor, processor core, multiprocessor, ASIC, FPGA, or otherwise. In this disclosure, the control unit 11 is not limited to these.

[0092] The storage unit 15 has the function of storing various programs and data necessary for the operation of the server 10. The storage unit 15 is implemented using various storage media such as HDDs, SSDs, and flash memory. However, in this disclosure, the storage unit 15 is not limited to these. Also, the storage unit 15 may or may not be referred to as memory.

[0093] The communication interface 14 transmits and receives various types of data via the network 30. Communication may be performed via wired or wireless connections, and any communication protocol may be used as long as communication between the interfaces is possible. The communication interface 14 has the function of communicating with various devices, such as terminals 20, via the network 30. The communication interface 14 transmits various types of data to various devices, such as terminals 20, according to instructions from the control unit 11. The communication interface 14 also receives various types of data transmitted from various devices, such as terminals 20, and transmits them to the control unit 11. The communication interface 14 may also be simply referred to as the communication unit. Furthermore, if the communication interface 14 is composed of a physically structured circuit, it may be referred to as the communication circuit.

[0094] The input / output unit 12 includes devices for inputting various operations to the server 10, and devices for outputting processing results processed by the server 10. The input / output unit 12 may have an integrated input unit and an output unit, or it may have separate input and output units, or it may not have to be integrated.

[0095] The input unit is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of receiving user input and transmitting the information related to the input to the control unit 11. The input unit is typically implemented by hardware keys such as a keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse. The input unit may or may not include, for example, a touch panel, a camera (operation input via video), or a microphone (operation input via voice).

[0096] The output unit is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of outputting the processing results processed by the control unit 11. The output unit includes, for example, a touch panel, a touch display, a speaker (sound output), a lens (e.g., 3D output or hologram output), a printer, and the like.

[0097] This is just one example, but the input / output unit 12 may include, for instance, a display unit 13.

[0098] The display unit 13 is implemented by a display or the like. Typically, the display is implemented by a monitor (for example, a liquid crystal display or an OLED (organic electroluminescence display)). The display may also be a head-mounted display (HDM) or not. These displays may or may not be capable of displaying data in 3D. In this disclosure, the display is not limited to these.

[0099] The clock unit 19 is the built-in clock of the server 10 and outputs time information (timing information). The clock unit 19 is configured to include, for example, a hardware clock such as an RTC (Real Time Clock) or a system clock. The clock unit 19 can also be described as, for example, a timing unit or a time information detection unit.

[0100] (3) Others Server 10 stores program P in storage unit 15, and by executing program P, the control unit 11 performs the processing of each part included in the control unit 11. In other words, program P stored in storage unit 15 enables server 10 to realize each function executed by the control unit 11. This program P may or may not be described as a program module. The same applies to other devices.

[0101] Each embodiment of this disclosure is described as being realized by the CPU of terminal 20 and / or server 10 executing program P. The same applies to other devices.

[0102] Furthermore, the control unit 21 of terminal 20 and / or the control unit 11 of server 10 may implement each process not only with a CPU having a control circuit, but also with logic circuits (hardware) or dedicated circuits formed on an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (Large Scale Integration)), etc., or they may not. Also, these circuits may be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, and the multiple processes shown in each embodiment may be implemented by a single integrated circuit, or they may not. In addition, LSIs are sometimes called VLSI, Super LSI, Ultra LSI, etc., depending on the degree of integration. For this reason, the control unit 21 may or may not be described as a control circuit. The same applies to other devices.

[0103] Furthermore, the program P (e.g., a software program, a computer program, or a program module) of each embodiment of the present disclosure may or may not be provided stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium is a “non-temporary tangible medium” capable of storing the program P. Also, the program P may or may not be for the purpose of implementing some of the functions of each embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the program P may or may not be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the functions of each embodiment of the present disclosure in combination with a program P already recorded on the storage medium.

[0104] The storage medium may include one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical disks, optical disk drives (ODDs), magneto-optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid-state drives (SSDs), RAM drives, secure digital cards, or drives, any other suitable storage medium, or any two or more suitable combinations thereof. The storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, where appropriate. The storage medium is not limited to these examples and may be any device or medium capable of storing program P. The storage medium may or may not be referred to as memory.

[0105] The server 10 and / or terminal 20 can realize the functions of the multiple functional units shown in each embodiment by reading the program P stored in the storage medium and executing the read program P. The same applies to other devices.

[0106] Furthermore, the program P of this disclosure may or may not be provided to the server 10 and / or terminal 20 via any transmission medium capable of transmitting programs (such as a communication network or broadcast waves). The server 10 and / or terminal 20 realize the functions of the multiple functional units shown in each embodiment by executing the program P downloaded, for example, via the Internet. The same applies to other devices.

[0107] Furthermore, each embodiment of this disclosure can also be realized in the form of a data signal in which the program P is embodied by electronic transmission. At least part of the processing on server 10 and / or terminal 20 may or may not be implemented by cloud computing consisting of one or more computers. The configuration may be such that at least some or all of the processing on terminal 20 is performed by server 10, or it may not be so. In this case, the configuration may be such that at least some or all of the processing of each functional unit of the control unit 21 of terminal 20 is performed by server 10, or it may not be so. The configuration may be such that at least some or all of the processing in the server 10 is performed by the terminal 20, or it may not be so. In this case, the configuration may be such that at least some or all of the processing of each functional unit of the control unit 11 of the server 10 is performed by the terminal 20, or it may not be so. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the configuration of the determination in the embodiments of this disclosure is not mandatory, and a predetermined process may be performed if the determination condition is met, or if the determination condition is not met, or not.

[0108] The programs disclosed herein are implemented using, for example, scripting languages ​​such as ActionScript and JavaScript®, compiled languages ​​such as Objective-C and Java®, and markup languages ​​such as HTML Living Standard.

[0109] [Functional Configuration of Each Device] (1) Server Functional Configuration Figure 1-2 shows an example of a function realized by the control unit 11 of the server 10 in this embodiment. The control unit 11 includes, for example, an application management processing unit 111 as a functional unit.

[0110] The application management processing unit 111 has the function of executing application management processing according to an application management processing program 151 stored in the storage unit 15, for example.

[0111] Figure 1-3 shows an example of the information stored in the storage unit 15 of the server 10 in this embodiment. The storage unit 15 stores, for example, an application management processing program 151 that is executed as an application management process, account registration data 153, an account management database 155, and a service-related database 157.

[0112] Account registration data 153 is registration data related to a messaging service account, and an example of its data structure is shown in Figure 1-4. The account registration data 153 stores, for example, the username, application ID, and other registration information in association with each other.

[0113] The username is the name of the account on device 20 that uses the messaging application. For example, the name registered by the user of device 20 when using the messaging application is stored.

[0114] The Application ID is information used to identify an account in a messaging service, or the account itself. This application ID is preferably a unique value for each account, for example, a unique value (unique value) is set and stored for each account by the server 10. The Application ID is information associated with terminal 20 or the user of terminal 20, and is an example of information about the terminal or the user of the terminal.

[0115] Other registration information may include, for example, identification information to identify terminal 20, the phone number of terminal 20 (terminal phone number), email address (terminal email address), and authentication information such as passwords used for various authentications in the application (login password, authentication password, etc.).

[0116] Identification information for identifying terminal 20 can be, for example, a terminal ID (e.g., IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)).

[0117] For example, user information may be associated with and stored in other registration information.

[0118] Note that you may or may not use a "User ID" instead of an "Application ID". Also, if the application can only register one account per terminal 20, then for example, "Identification information for identifying terminal 20 = Identification information for identifying the user of terminal 20 = Application ID" can be used.

[0119] Furthermore, for example, it may or may not be possible to assign multiple terminal IDs to a single application ID. In this case, it may or may not be possible to launch the application simultaneously on multiple terminals 20 using a single application ID as the target for identification (login).

[0120] Furthermore, it is possible to apply a method of managing accounts using information such as the terminal's phone number instead of various IDs such as application IDs. In this case, instead of storing information such as the application ID in the account registration data 153, information such as the terminal phone number can be stored in the account registration data 153. Alternatively, the application ID information may be associated with the terminal phone number information on a one-to-one basis, or it may not be necessary to do so.

[0121] For the sake of simplicity, in the following embodiment, it will be assumed that one account is registered for each terminal 20. Furthermore, in this case, as described above, "identification information for identifying terminal 20 = identification information for identifying the user of terminal 20 = application ID," therefore, the term "user of the account" used in the following explanation may or may not be considered synonymous with "terminal of the account."

[0122] The account management database 155 is, for example, a database that stores account management data, which is management data for each user account in the messaging service, stored in the account registration data 153. Each account management data may store information such as the user's friendships on messaging services and information regarding sending and receiving messages.

[0123] The service-related database 157 is a database that stores, for example, information about advertisements related to various services (advertisement identification information, advertisement images, etc.) and information about reservation services and businesses that use those advertisements (hereinafter referred to as "reservation service businesses") (reservation service identification information, URLs of reservation service websites and web pages, etc.). Furthermore, the database may be divided into two or more parts; for example, a separate database for advertising may be created. Furthermore, the service-related database 157 may be managed by a storage unit in a server different from server 10, and the processing described in the present invention may be executed by server 10 and the other server exchanging data each time.

[0124] Various services may include, for example, food and beverage services at restaurants and accommodation services at lodging facilities. For convenience, these services will be referred to as "facility use services," and the businesses that provide them will be referred to as "facility use service providers." Furthermore, reservation service providers may partner with the aforementioned facility usage service providers and, at the request of those facility usage service providers, place advertisements for those facility usage services or accept reservations for those services. For example, "gourmet reservation services" and "accommodation reservation services" may be included in reservation services.

[0125] Furthermore, the various services are not limited to facility usage services; for example, they may also include transportation services using public transport. Additionally, reservation services may include services that allow users to make reservations for transportation services.

[0126] The various services described above can, for example, be included in the itinerary, and may also be searchable as services related to the itinerary.

[0127] The advertisements are those related to the services mentioned above, and may include, for example, advertisements from facility service providers or advertising agencies. Furthermore, while the same advertisement may be used for the same facility usage service regardless of the reservation service (reservation service provider), or different advertisements may be used for each reservation service, in this embodiment, we will explain it as if the same advertisement is used regardless of the reservation service. In other words, we will explain it as if one advertisement is linked to multiple reservation services (reservation service providers).

[0128] Furthermore, in the following, companies that sponsor messaging service providers will be referred to as "sponsors." Sponsors may include at least one of the following types of businesses: facility usage service providers and reservation service providers. For example, a reservation service provider that is an investor in a messaging service provider, or a facility usage service provider that is an advertiser that has paid advertising fees in advance, may be included as a sponsor. Advertisements from sponsors (primarily advertisements from facility usage service providers that are advertisers that have paid advertising fees in advance) are referred to as "sponsor advertisements."

[0129] In this embodiment, it is explained that for each user (each account) registered in the account registration data 153, information about the reservation service accounts owned by that user (that account) is stored in the account registration data 153 (or account management data). It is also explained that information on whether or not a user's account in the messaging service and a user's account in the reservation service are linked (account linkage status information) is stored. Linking a user's account in the messaging service and a user's account in the reservation service is referred to as "account linkage," and the process is referred to as "account linkage processing."

[0130] Furthermore, for each user (each account) registered in account registration data 153, past reservation information and actual usage information for each reservation service may be stored. It should be noted that there may be cases where the user (their account) does not have an account for the reservation service, but for simplicity, this case will be excluded in this embodiment.

[0131] (2) Terminal Functional Configuration Figure 1-5 shows an example of a function realized by the control unit 21 of the terminal 20 in this embodiment. The control unit 21 includes, for example, an application processing unit 211 as a functional unit for executing application processing according to an application processing program 281 stored in the storage unit 28.

[0132] Figure 1-6 shows an example of data stored in the storage unit 28 of the terminal 20 in this embodiment. The memory unit 28 stores, for example, an application processing program 281 that is executed as application processing, and an application ID 283 that corresponds to the terminal 20 or the user account of the terminal 20.

[0133] <Display screen> The following describes examples of display screens. The screen transitions described below are merely examples of screen transitions for implementing the method of this disclosure. Some screens may be omitted or additional screens may be added to the screen transitions exemplified below. In addition, the terminology used in the screens described below may differ from the terminology used in the processes described later (some terminology may not be consistent).

[0134] In the following example, we will describe a case where terminal 20 is a smartphone equipped with a vertically oriented display unit 24. The smartphone has, for example, a touch panel that functions as an input unit, positioned opposite its display, to form a touchscreen. When an element such as an icon, button, item, or input area is displayed on the display, and a part of the touch panel that is opposite the area on which the element is displayed is operated by the user, the program associated with that element or a subroutine of that program may be executed.

[0135] In addition, the flow of screen transitions may be explained by showing predetermined screens displayed on different terminals 20, either within a single drawing or across multiple drawings. In this case, for example, the predetermined screen may be displayed on different terminals 20 based on (or triggered by) at least one of the following: • Automatically displayed • When a notification (including push notifications, etc.; the same applies hereinafter) is sent to device 20, and the user takes action in response to the notification, it will be displayed. • No notification is sent to device 20, but it will be displayed when the user performs a specific action on the application. • A notification is sent to terminal 20, and the user performs a specified action on the application that sent the notification, which then displays the message.

[0136] The following example illustrates the case where user AA's terminal 20A is the account that initiates the creation of the travel plan. Terminal 20A may be an example of the first terminal, and user AA may be an example of the first user of the first terminal. Furthermore, the account of terminal 20A or user AA may be an example of the first account. In this example, the travel plan generation will be performed within the messaging application, and the messaging application will be referred to as "Messaging App" as an example. Furthermore, the generation of travel plans may be performed on a separate application from the messaging application, such as a travel plan generation support application. In this case, for example, the itinerary may be presented in the travel plan generation support application based on the dialogue in the messaging application's chat room.

[0137] Figures 1-7 to 1-8 show examples of screens displayed on the display unit 24 of terminal 20A in this embodiment. Additionally, where the diagrams refer to a "travel plan," we will explain it as an "itinerary" where appropriate.

[0138] Figure 1-7, on the left, shows the chat room screen of the messaging application displayed on terminal 20A, specifically the chat room screen where the conversation partner is a chatbot (the chatbot's account).

[0139] The chat room screen is configured with a content display area (hereinafter referred to as the "content display area"), and for example, the content you have sent (content originating from you) may be displayed on the right side of the screen, and the content the other party has sent (content originating from the other party) may be displayed on the left side of the screen.

[0140] The same thing can be done in a group chat room. In this case, for example, in the content display area (CR), the content you have sent (content originating from you) may be displayed on the right side of the screen, and the content sent by other group members (including chatbots (chatbot accounts)) (content originating from other group members) may be displayed on the left side of the screen.

[0141] The content may be displayed in association with information that allows for the identification or identification of the source, for example, by associating it with the user's registered icon image. The content may also be displayed in a speech bubble. In this case, the text within the speech bubble may be considered the content, or the speech bubble itself may be considered the content. Additionally, depending on the type of content and the information it contains, you may choose not to display it in a speech bubble. A single piece of content may include different elements (for example, text, images, and objects such as buttons and icons), and such content may be referred to as "composite content."

[0142] In the left-hand screen of Figure 1-7, an exchange takes place between user AA and the chatbot regarding the generation of an itinerary for a trip to Okinawa, and finally, content indicating that the chatbot is generating the itinerary is displayed.

[0143] The central screen in Figure 1-7 displays the itinerary C1a generated by the chatbot, continuing from the screen on the left side of Figure 1-7, as content originating from the chatbot. The itinerary displayed as a chat in this way can be considered content (itinerary content), and can be structured as, for example, a composite content.

[0144] Furthermore, while this embodiment illustrates a case where a travel itinerary (travel summary) that outlines the travel route is generated and displayed, in addition to or instead of this, a detailed travel itinerary (travel details) that shows the travel route individually and specifically may be generated and displayed.

[0145] In this example, itinerary C1a contains text representing the itinerary and displays advertisements (advertisement images) for the facilities and services included in the itinerary. Specifically, this example includes advertisement AD1a for an "Okinawa Soba Restaurant" offering food and beverage services, and advertisement AD2a for an "XXX Hotel" offering accommodation services. Itinerary C1a also includes a "Save" button to save the itinerary and a "Map" button to display the itinerary in map format.

[0146] Advertisement AD1a for "Okinawa Soba Restaurant" includes a link to, for example, a page for entering information for in-app reservations, as described later. When a user taps Advertisement AD1a, the in-app reservation information entry page for the messaging application is displayed on display unit 24, for example, by the messaging application's internal browser (in-app browser).

[0147] Here, AD1a (AD2a, AD2b, etc., described later) is referred to as an "advertisement," but it does not necessarily have to be an advertisement for which advertisers pay advertising fees; it could simply be a search result extracted from information about stores, etc., that is posted on the internet. Advertisements can also be called search results, and it is possible to display only advertisements as described above, or only non-advertisement search results, or a mix of advertisements and non-advertisement search results. Furthermore, non-advertisement search results may be, for example, content (objects) generated by server 10 based on the search results.

[0148] The above assumes that User AA's account in the first gourmet reservation service and User AA's account in the messaging service are already linked (account linked).

[0149] Similarly, the AD2a ad for "XXX Hotel" also includes a link that, for example, leads to a page for entering information for in-app reservations.

[0150] Furthermore, for example, a "Change" button BT1 is displayed in the lower right corner of each advertisement, allowing users to change this advertisement to another. The "Change" button BT1 can be considered an object for changing advertisements. In this embodiment, not only advertisements but also the itinerary is changed, so the "Change" button BT1 can also be considered a type of object for changing the itinerary. For example, when the user taps the "Change" button BT1 associated with the "XXX Hotel" ad AD2a, the itinerary C1a and the "XXX Hotel" ad AD2a are changed. The same approach may be used when displaying search results that are not advertisements.

[0151] The screen on the right side of Figure 1-7 is the screen that appears following the screen in the center of Figure 1-7 in this case, and the modified itinerary C1b is displayed below itinerary C1a. In this itinerary C1b, the accommodation "XXX Hotel" has been changed to "YYY Ryokan," and based on this change, the check-in time (arrival time) for the accommodation and the scheduled times thereafter have been updated. Furthermore, the ad2a for "XXX Hotel" has been replaced with the ad2b for "YYY Ryokan." This ad2b also contains a link, for example, to a page for entering information for in-app reservations.

[0152] For example, when a user taps the "YYY Inn" ad AD2b, an in-app reservation information input page is displayed on the display unit 24, and as will be explained in more detail later, it becomes possible to have the server 10 make a reservation for "YYY Inn".

[0153] Figure 1-8 shows another example of the screen described above. This screen is an example where the itinerary and advertisements are displayed separately. In the example screen on the left in Figure 1-8, itinerary C1c, which corresponds to the aforementioned itinerary C1a but does not contain advertisements, is displayed. Below that, text content including the text "Rent a car" corresponding to "Rent a car" in itinerary C1c is displayed, and below that, advertisements related to the services included in this itinerary C1c are displayed separately. In this example, advertisement AD1a for "Okinawa Soba Restaurant" which provides food and beverage services, and advertisement AD2a) for "XXX Hotel" which provides accommodation services. For example, when the user taps the "Change" button BT1 associated with the "Okinawa Soba Restaurant" ad AD1a, the itinerary C1c and the "Okinawa Soba Restaurant" ad AD1a are changed.

[0154] The screen on the right in Figure 1-8 is the screen that appears following the screen on the left in Figure 1-8 in this case. Below the "XXX Hotel" ad AD2a, the modified itinerary C1d is displayed, and below that, below the "Rental Car Travel" text content, the "Okinawa Hamburger Shop" ad AD1b is displayed, which has been changed from the "Okinawa Soba Restaurant" ad AD1a. For example, when an ad AD1b for "Okinawa Hamburger Restaurant" is tapped by a user, an in-app reservation information input page is displayed on the display unit 24. As will be explained in more detail later, this makes it possible to have the server 10 make a reservation for dining at "Okinawa Hamburger Restaurant".

[0155] The above example illustrates the presentation of two advertisements to users as a way to guide them through booking services tailored to their itinerary, but this is not the only example. For example, for all bookable services, a search system (not shown) can be used to search for services located a certain distance from the travel route. Service information (e.g., service-related objects: advertisements as an example) may then be presented for some or all of these services. In this case, since a large amount of service information may be included within the itinerary display area, the service information may be displayed outside the itinerary display area (as shown in Figure 1-8). Furthermore, as indicated by the phrase "for some or all of the services," service information may be provided only for some of the target services found by the search system. In other words, for multiple target services found by the search system, some services may have service information provided, while others may not.

[0156] Furthermore, it is not necessary to display all service information extracted through the search so that it fits within the area of ​​the display unit 24. For example, only some of the search results (or only a portion of the advertisement image) may be displayed, and the hidden service information may be revealed by the user swiping left or right (this display may be either inside or outside the itinerary). Furthermore, when presenting some or all of the target services located a certain distance from the travel route via the search system as described above, only some of the service information may be designated as a sponsored section, displaying service information provided by advertisers who have already paid advertising fees. In this case, the service information in the sponsored section may be displayed, for example, at the very top of the itinerary (or at the far left if the user swipes to the right to display hidden service information), so that it is displayed without requiring any user interaction. In other words, the service information in the sponsored section may be displayed with priority over the service information that is not sponsored. Additionally, the service information in the sponsored section may be associated with text or marks indicating that it is a "sponsored section," allowing users to identify whether or not it is a sponsored section.

[0157] <Processing> Figure 1-9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by each device in this embodiment. In this figure, from left to right, an example of processing performed by the control unit 21 of user AA's terminal 20A is shown, followed by an example of processing performed by the control unit 11 of server 10. The processes described below are merely examples of processes for implementing the method of this disclosure, and are not limited to these. Additionally, you may add other steps to the process described below, or omit (delete) some steps from the process described below.

[0158] First, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A sends itinerary generation request information to the server 10 for generating an itinerary, based on, for example, input to the input / output unit 23 of terminal 20A (for example, user input (user operation input, sound input, etc.); the same applies hereinafter). (A110) The itinerary generation request information may also be in the form of a natural language string such as "Create a travel plan." Alternatively, the itinerary generation request information may also be, for example, a command in an API of a travel plan creation support service.

[0159] The itinerary generation request information may include, for example, information about the general destination (location), information about the length of stay (e.g., "one night, two days"), information about the dates (e.g., "next weekend" or "from December 23rd to December 26th"), and information about the purpose of the trip.

[0160] The input method for the itinerary generation request information may be as follows, for example: • Posting messages to chat rooms in messaging services • Operation of the itinerary generation button from the chat room menu in messaging services, or input from a selection menu (form). • Text input (interactive instructions) in travel plan creation support applications • Inputting selection menus (forms) in travel plan creation support applications.

[0161] When the server 10 receives the itinerary generation request information from terminal 20A, the control unit 11 of the server 10 executes the itinerary generation request acceptance process (S110). In the process of receiving a travel itinerary generation request, the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines, for example, whether or not itinerary generation has been instructed, using a question-answering model (not shown).

[0162] In addition, during the itinerary generation request acceptance processing, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may, for example, send itinerary confirmation information to the terminal 20A to confirm the destination and itinerary if the itinerary generation request information does not include information such as the travel destination and itinerary. The control unit 21 of the terminal 20A may, for example, display the itinerary confirmation information on the display unit 24 upon receiving it. Based on user input regarding the itinerary confirmation information, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A may send itinerary specification information such as the travel destination and dates to the server 10.

[0163] For example, if it is determined that itinerary generation has been instructed, the control unit 11 of the server 10 executes the itinerary summary generation process (S120). In the itinerary summary generation process, the control unit 11 of the server 10 generates an itinerary summary (an example of an itinerary) based on the instructions in the itinerary generation request information and itinerary specification information, for example, using a question answering model (for example, a closed-book question answering system). For example, if the control unit 11 of server 10 receives the string "I want to go to Okinawa, so please make a travel plan" as itinerary generation request information and the string "Make it a one-night, two-day trip" as itinerary specification information, it may input a first prompt statement to the question response model, for example, separating the itinerary generation request information and the itinerary specification information with punctuation marks, such as "I want to go to Okinawa, so please make a travel plan. Make it a one-night, two-day trip." Alternatively, it may be possible to omit the itinerary specification information.

[0164] Furthermore, in the itinerary summary generation process, if the control unit 11 of the server 10 receives, for example, the selection menu item "Create a travel plan" as itinerary generation request information, and the selection menu items "Region: Okinawa" and "Dates: 1 night, 2 days" as itinerary specification information, it may input the first prompt statement to the question response model, for example, by separating the string "Please generate a travel plan" which is associated with the selection menu item "Create a travel plan" as itinerary generation request information, the string "Please set the destination to Okinawa" which is associated with the selection menu item "Region: Okinawa" as itinerary specification information, and the string "Please set the dates to 1 night, 2 days" which is associated with the selection menu item "Dates: 1 night, 2 days" with punctuation marks. Note that itinerary specification information may be omitted.

[0165] The itinerary may include any of the following elements, for example: • Departure point (for example, the station or airport where the outbound journey will end) • Place of visit (e.g., name or address of the facility) • Restaurants (for example, the name of the restaurant or the menu) • Accommodation location (e.g., hotel name and address) • Destination (for example, the station or airport that will be the departure point for the return journey)

[0166] The first prompt statement may include content indicating that any of these elements should be included as output. The first prompt statement may also include prompts requesting more detailed schedule or cost output.

[0167] The itinerary summary information may, for example, be a generated statement describing the general content of the travel plan. Alternatively, the itinerary summary information may be a list listing the departure point, destinations, and accommodations. The itinerary summary information may also include information such as a general schedule and estimated costs.

[0168] Furthermore, in S120, the control unit 11 of the server 10 retrieves, for example, advertisements for facility usage services based on the generated itinerary from the service-related database 157. The control unit 11 of the server 10 then associates, for example, the retrieved advertisements with the generated itinerary. The advertisements contain, for example, a link to transition to a page within a messaging application where the user enters the information necessary to have the server 10 make a reservation (hereinafter referred to as the "in-app reservation information input page").

[0169] After S120, the control unit 11 of the server 10 transmits the generated itinerary information and information about the advertisement associated with this itinerary (which may include information such as advertisement identification information and advertisements with links (advertisement images)) to the terminal 20A via the communication I / F 14 (S130).

[0170] When the terminal 20A receives the above information from the server 10 via the communication interface 22, the control unit 21 of the terminal 20A displays the itinerary and advertisements on the display unit 24 (A120).

[0171] As mentioned above, in S120, the search system may search for target services located at a certain distance from the travel route and generate an itinerary that includes some or all of the service information (for example, objects such as advertisements). In this case, the server 10 may, for example, generate a search prompt for searching for target services when generating the itinerary, and then use the generated search prompt to search for the target services using the search system and obtain the service information for the target services. In this case, the server 10 may also send carousel advertisements for the target service to the terminal 20 so that they are displayed on the display unit 24 of the terminal 20, for example, outside the itinerary display area as shown in Figure 1-8 (or within the itinerary display area as shown in Figure 1-7). In this case, for example, the carousel advertisements will be displayed in the chat room shown on the display unit 24 of the terminal 20 in association with the itinerary, and the user will be able to select an advertisement for the service they wish to use by swiping.

[0172] Furthermore, server 10 may generate an itinerary that includes, for example, only the sponsor's facility usage services, or it may generate an itinerary that includes only the sponsor's facility usage services for which the advertising fee payment amount is above a certain level. Furthermore, server 10 may generate itineraries that include only facility usage services for which the service user rating is above a certain level.

[0173] After A120, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A determines whether or not user input has been made regarding the advertisement displayed on the display unit 24 (A130).

[0174] If it is determined that no user input has been made regarding the advertisement (A130: NO), the control unit 21 of terminal 20A will transfer processing to, for example, A150. On the other hand, if it is determined that user input has been made in response to an advertisement (A130: YES), the control unit 21 of terminal 20A displays an in-app reservation information input page on the display unit 24, for example, using an in-app browser, based on the link set in the advertisement. Then, based on the information input by the user, it sends information to the server 10 to request a reservation (hereinafter referred to as "reservation request information") via the communication I / F 22 (A140).

[0175] When the server 10 receives reservation request information from terminal 20A via communication I / F 14, the control unit 11 of the server 10 performs the reservation process (S140). Specifically, for example, from among the reservation services linked to user AA's account, it selects one reservation service based on one of the following conditions: (A) Reservation service of the sponsoring reservation service provider (B) The reservation service that User AA has the most past reservations and usage of (or the most frequent reservation and usage of) In this case, the booking service linked to your account will be selected for making a reservation, and booking services not linked to your account will not be selected.

[0176] Note that conditions (A) and (B) may be combined. Alternatively, users may be asked to select one reservation service from among the reservation services linked to their account.

[0177] Then, the control unit 11 of server 10 communicates with the server of the selected reservation service (selected reservation service provider) via the communication interface 14 and makes a reservation for the corresponding service for user AA. The control unit 11 of server 10 then saves the reservation details in association with user AA's account. In this example, server 10 performs the reservation processing, but a different server (for example, a reservation processing server (not shown)) may also perform the reservation processing.

[0178] On the other hand, if there is no reservation service linked to the account, the control unit 11 of the server 10 will select one reservation service, for example, • The reservation service of one of the reservation service providers that is a sponsor. • The most used reservation service among messaging services. • The most highly-rated booking service among messaging services. The user selects a service and sends the information of the selected reservation service to terminal 20 for presentation to the user on terminal 20. The control unit 11 of server 10 may then perform account linking processing after obtaining user approval, and then perform the same processing as described above. Alternatively, the user may be redirected to the web page of the reservation service without performing account linking processing, and the user may proceed with the reservation process separately. In this case, for example, after the reservation is completed, the user may return to the messaging application and enter information that the reservation has been completed for a specific service into a text box, allowing the control unit 11 or storage unit 15 to process, manage, and store that the travel itinerary has been confirmed.

[0179] The itinerary may also include travel expenses (e.g., transportation, food and drink, accommodation). Furthermore, travel expenses may be reduced if the user selects an advertisement associated with the itinerary and makes a reservation through a booking service. For example, if a hotel is booked, the cost of the accommodation may be reduced. In addition, travel expenses may be reduced if the reservation is made through a sponsoring booking service. In this case, information such as "This itinerary includes XXX Hotel from the sponsor's selection. As a result, a XX% discount has been applied" may be sent from the server 10 to the terminal 20 and displayed on the display unit 24 of the terminal 20. In this case, for example, this information may be displayed as content in the chat room where the itinerary is displayed.

[0180] Furthermore, when performing the reservation process for S140, user information and other verification processes may be carried out through chat communication within the messaging service. In this case, server 10 may, for example, cooperate with the reservation processing server to obtain the information that needs to be confirmed with the user in order to make the reservation, and present a chat message to the user in text format (or image format, etc.) within the messaging service for confirmation. According to this system, reservation processing is performed by the reservation server based on the account linked to the integrated reservation service (application), but for the user, the reservation can be completed without having to move to another application, saving time and effort.

[0181] Furthermore, if a reservation is completed solely through chat communication, the user will not know which reservation service the reservation was processed through. For this reason, for example, a confirmation text message (text chat) such as "This reservation will be processed by the XX reservation application linked to AA's account. Is that alright?" may be sent or displayed when a reservation is made. If the user's terminal that receives the text chat sends a text such as "Yes", the server 10 may recognize the text and send a reservation execution instruction to the reservation processing server to execute the reservation.

[0182] Furthermore, in S140, when a reservation is completed through the reservation process, the server 10 (or reservation processing server) may send reservation information (which may also be called reservation completion information) to the terminal 20. Specifically, for example, along with a message indicating that the reservation is complete, the server may send and display a URL (a link based on this URL) to display the reservation completion page of the reservation service application (the reservation completion page for the reserved service in the reservation service). The reservation information may include detailed information about the reservation.

[0183] This information may be displayed, for example, in the chat room where the aforementioned itinerary is displayed (a chat room including the user of device 20 and the chatbot). However, this is not the only option; the itinerary may also be displayed in a different chat room than the one where it is displayed, or on other pages in the messaging application.

[0184] Furthermore, the generated itinerary may be made public by users posting (sharing) it within the messaging service or on other social networking services.

[0185] Subsequently, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A determines whether or not user input to change the advertisement has been made (A150). If it is determined that no user input has been made to change the advertisement (A150:NO), the control unit 21 of terminal 20A moves the processing to, for example, A190.

[0186] On the other hand, if it is determined that user input has been made to change the advertisement (A150: YES), the control unit 21 of terminal 20A sends advertisement change request information to the server 10 via the communication I / F 22 to request that the advertisement be changed (A160).

[0187] When the server 10 receives an advertisement change request from terminal 20A via the communication interface 14, the control unit 11 of the server 10 performs a travel itinerary summary change process (S150). Specifically, for example, based on the advertisement identification information included in the advertisement change request information, it searches the service-related database 157 for services in the same category as the service corresponding to the advertisement for which a change has been requested (for example, food and beverage services for food and beverage services, accommodation services for accommodation services) and within the same area or region. Then, based on the search results, it changes the itinerary and the associated advertisement. This method is just one example; it may involve changes to a portion of the itinerary, or to the entire itinerary.

[0188] Next, the control unit 11 of the server 10 transmits the information about the changed itinerary and the advertisement information associated with the changed itinerary to the terminal 20A via the communication interface 14 (S160).

[0189] When the terminal 20A receives the above information from the server 10 via the communication interface 22, the control unit 21 of the terminal 20A displays the changed itinerary and the changed advertisement information on the display unit 24 (A1170). Then, the control unit 21 of the terminal 20A returns the processing to, for example, A130.

[0190] If A150 determines that no user input has been made to change the advertisement related to the service (A150: NO), the control unit 21 of terminal 20A determines whether or not to terminate the process (A190). If it determines to continue processing (A190: NO), the control unit 21 of terminal 20A returns processing to, for example, A130, and if it determines to terminate processing (A190: YES), it terminates processing.

[0191] After S160, the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines whether or not to terminate the process (S190). If it determines to continue processing (S190: NO), the control unit 11 of the server 10 returns to a point before, for example, S140, and if it determines to terminate processing (S190: YES), it terminates processing.

[0192] <Effects of the Example> In this embodiment, terminal 20 displays the itinerary and objects related to services based on the itinerary (e.g., facility usage services) (e.g., advertisements) on the display unit 24 via a chat application (e.g., a messaging application). Based on user input to the objects on terminal 20, a service is reserved in a reservation service linked to the chat service of the chat application, and the chat application displays reservation information on the display unit 24 indicating that the service has been reserved in the reservation service. This allows users to book services through a reservation service integrated with a chat service, and the reservation information can then be viewed by the user on their device.

[0193] Alternatively, the itinerary may be generated by the user of device 20 chatting with a chatbot via a chat application. This allows users to easily generate itineraries by chatting with a chatbot.

[0194] Furthermore, the reservation information may also include information (for example, the URL of the reservation completion page) for the reservation service displayed on the display unit 24 of the terminal 20. This will redirect the user to the reservation completion page of the reservation service, allowing the user on the device to view the reservation completion page.

[0195] Furthermore, the display unit 24 of the terminal 20 may display objects for each of the multiple services searched based on the itinerary, including a first object (e.g., sponsored advertisement) related to a first service (e.g., a service provided by an advertiser's service provider) provided by a sponsor of the chat service (e.g., an advertiser's service provider), and reservation information may be displayed on the display unit 24 based on the reservation of the first service in a reservation service linked to the chat service of the chat application, based on the user's input to the first object on the terminal 20. This allows the user on the device to select the service they want to use by referring to objects related to each of several services searched based on the itinerary, including a first object related to the first service provided by the chat service sponsor. Furthermore, based on the user's input to the first object related to the first service, the first service can be booked in a reservation service linked to the chat application's chat service, and the user on the device can confirm that reservation information.

[0196] In this case, the reservation information may also include information indicating that the cost of the first service has been reduced. When the first service is booked through a reservation service integrated with a chat service, the cost of the first service is reduced, which is beneficial for the terminal user, and the terminal user is also aware that the cost has been reduced.

[0197] Additionally, objects related to services based on the itinerary (e.g., advertisements) may be displayed within the itinerary's display area. This makes it easier to understand the correspondence between itineraries and objects related to services based on those itineraries.

[0198] Additionally, objects related to services based on the itinerary (e.g., advertisements) may be displayed outside the itinerary display area. This improves the visibility of both the itinerary and the objects related to the services based on the itinerary.

[0199] Furthermore, the itinerary is the first itinerary, the object is the first object (for example, an advertisement for "XXX Hotel"), and based on input from the user of terminal 20 to change the first object, the first itinerary and the first object are changed, and terminal 20 may display the second itinerary, which has been changed from the first itinerary, and the second object, which has been changed from the first object (for example, an advertisement for "YYY Inn"), on the display unit 24. This allows the terminal user to modify the first itinerary and the first object by entering input to change the first object, and then verify the modified second itinerary and the modified second object.

[0200] In this case, the first object may be the first advertisement, and the second object may be a second advertisement that is different from the first advertisement. This allows the user of the device to change the first itinerary and the first advertisement by entering the necessary information to modify the first advertisement, and then view the modified second itinerary and the modified second advertisement.

[0201] <Example 1: Modified Example> In the above embodiment, if account linking processing is performed, the server 10 may generate account linking completion information (for example, account linking completion content) indicating that account linking has been completed after performing the account linking processing, and send it to the terminal 20. The account linking completion information may include, for example, information such as a statement that account linking has been completed and details of the account linking process. This information may be displayed, for example, in the chat room where the aforementioned itinerary is displayed (a chat room including the user of device 20 and the chatbot). However, this is not the only option; the itinerary may also be displayed in a different chat room than the one where it is displayed, or on other pages in the messaging application.

[0202] <Second variation of the example> In the above embodiment, the object related to the itinerary service was an advertisement, but it is not limited to this. For example, non-advertising content such as articles, columns, or images (still images, moving images) that introduce facility usage services may also be used as the object.

[0203] Alternatively, for example, before the change, the advertisement could be displayed as an object related to the itinerary service, and after the change, introductory content related to that service could be displayed. Specifically, for example, in the display screen example shown in Figure 1-7, when the user taps the "Change" button BT1 of the "XXX Hotel" advertisement, the introductory content for "YYY Ryokan" may be displayed.

[0204] It is also acceptable to display different objects for the same facility usage service. For example, in the aforementioned display screen example, in addition to the "Change" button BT1, a "Refer" button could be associated with the advertisement and displayed. For example, in the display screen example in Figure 1-7, when the "Refer" button for the "XXX Hotel" advertisement is tapped by the user, the referral content for "XXX Hotel" could be displayed.

[0205] Alternatively, the opposite approach could be taken: before the change, a non-advertisement object would be displayed, and after the change, an advertisement would be displayed.

[0206] This modification shows that objects related to itinerary-based services are not advertisements. This allows the user of the device to book a service by providing input to an object related to a service based on the displayed itinerary, which is not an advertisement.

[0207] In this case, the first object may be the first advertisement, and the second object may be an object that is not an advertisement. This allows the user of the device to modify the first advertisement by entering input to change the first itinerary and the first advertisement, and then see the modified second itinerary and the modified second object, which is not an advertisement.

[0208] <Third modified example of the embodiment> In the above example, if the itinerary is changed by changing the advertisement, (1) For example, if you want to change your accommodation (second service, corresponding to the second object) after you have completed a reservation for a restaurant (service, corresponding to the first object), the entire itinerary may be changed (regenerated) by the change operation on the second object, but the first object, which has already been booked, may remain as is, and the reservation status may also be maintained. In other words, it is possible to modify only objects for which the reservation has not been completed, and since the reservation status is not changed, it may be possible to modify the itinerary based on the confirmed itinerary.

[0209] In this case, for example, in the process shown in Figure 1-9, during the reservation process in S140, when the reservation for a service (e.g., a food and beverage service) corresponding to a first object (e.g., an advertisement corresponding to a food and beverage service) associated with the itinerary summary information is completed, the control unit 11 of the server 10 saves the reservation information for the service corresponding to the first object in association with user AA's account. The control unit 11 of the server 10 also sets a non-modifiable flag in association with the first object (or the service corresponding to the first object), for example. Furthermore, for example, when the server receives an ad change request from terminal 20A to change an ad for a service based on the itinerary (e.g., accommodation service), in the itinerary summary change processing of S150, the control unit 11 of server 10 changes the itinerary summary information by referring to the stored reservation information and changes the second object (e.g., an ad corresponding to accommodation service) to a third object (e.g., an ad corresponding to a different accommodation service).

[0210] Furthermore, after the reservation process in S140, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may send object modification impossible information to the terminal 20, indicating that the first object cannot be modified. Then, if the control unit 21 of the terminal 20 determines that user input to modify the first object has been made (A150: Yes), it may display the object modification impossible information on the display unit 24. Furthermore, if the control unit 21 of terminal 20 determines that user input to change the first object has been received (A150: Yes), it sends advertisement change request information to the server 10 (A160). The control unit 11 of server 10 then sends object change impossible information to terminal 20, and terminal 20 may display the received object change impossible information on the display unit 24.

[0211] Alternatively, instead of the first object, the aforementioned booking completion content may be associated with the modified itinerary.

[0212] In this case, for example, when the server receives an ad change request from terminal 20A to change an ad for a service based on a travel itinerary (e.g., accommodation service), the control unit 11 of server 10 changes the travel itinerary summary information in the travel itinerary summary change process of S150, changes the associated first object to the booking completion content, and changes the associated second object (e.g., an ad corresponding to an accommodation service) to a third object (e.g., an ad corresponding to a different accommodation service).

[0213] On the other hand, (2) contrary to (1) above, even if an operation is performed to modify the second object, the first object may remain modifiable, and the reservation for the service corresponding to the first object may be automatically canceled. In this case, for example, when the server 10 receives an ad change request from terminal 20A to change an ad for a service based on the itinerary (e.g., accommodation service), the itinerary summary change process in S150 causes the control unit 11 of the server 10 to change the itinerary summary information, change the associated first object to the booking completion content, and change the associated second object (e.g., an ad corresponding to an accommodation service) to the third object (e.g., an ad corresponding to a different accommodation service). The control unit 11 of the server 10 also deletes the booking information for the service corresponding to the first object that was previously saved.

[0214] In this case, for example, a message such as "Do you want to cancel your restaurant reservation?" may be displayed on terminal 20. If the user selects "Yes," the reservation may be automatically canceled in the reservation service without the user having to perform any action to cancel the reservation. If the user selects "No," the reservation status in the reservation service may remain, and only the second object may be changed. This eliminates the hassle of canceling reservations.

[0215] <Fourth modified example of the embodiment> In the above embodiment, the itinerary may be displayed in map format on the display unit 24 of the terminal 20, and service-related objects may be displayed on the map (for example, advertisements may be displayed in association with the service locations on the map). Alternatively, service-related objects may be displayed separately from the map.

[0216] <Example 5 Modification> In the above embodiment, with respect to itinerary-based services (facility usage services, transportation usage services, etc.), the user of terminal 20 may input a user request for bulk booking to terminal 20, thereby transmitting the bulk booking request information from terminal 20 to server 10, and server 10 may perform a bulk booking process to book all or some of the reservable services based on the itinerary, or two or more services, in a single transaction.

[0217] <Other> In the above embodiments, the present invention was illustrated as a method for implementing it in a chat service including a messaging service, but the invention is not limited thereto, and similar methods may be applied to services other than chat services. Furthermore, when implemented using a chat service, the various types of content described in the above embodiment do not necessarily have to be displayed in the chat room. Also, the information that was intended to be displayed in the chat room in the above embodiment may be displayed on screens or pages other than the chat room in the chat application.

[0218] Furthermore, at least some of the processing that the server 10 is supposed to perform in the above embodiments may be performed by the terminal 20. Conversely, at least some of the processing that the terminal 20 is supposed to perform in the above embodiments may be performed by the server 10. In this case, the processing described in the above embodiment may be implemented by a single server, or the processing described in the above embodiment may be implemented by a server system consisting of multiple servers, with each server handling a portion of the processing.

[0219] For example, a system consisting of one or more servers may be defined as a server system, or a server may be defined as a server system.

[0220] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the server for distributing various applications (the server from which terminal 20 downloads applications) may be configured as a different server from the server that provides the corresponding services (applications). In other words, the server for distributing applications and the server that performs the application management processing described in the above embodiments may be configured as physically separate servers, or they may be configured as a single server.

[0221] Furthermore, the term "application" may include not only programs for various applications, but also programs that provide the functionality of other services as a function of the underlying application (for example, a program that provides the functionality of an advertising delivery service as a function of a messaging application, or vice versa), and programs for updating the underlying application. It may also include data used by application programs (which may include data for application updates, etc.).

[0222] Furthermore, while the above embodiments describe, for example, a method of realizing the present invention using a client-server system, the invention is not limited to this. As mentioned above, it may also be realized by a distributed system or other system in which the functions of a server or server system are provided to the terminal 20. For example, the processing described in the flowchart described in the above embodiments as being performed by a server or server system may be performed by the terminal.

[0223] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the embodiments, modifications, and other aspects described can be applied in combination. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0224] 1. Communication System 10 servers 20 devices 30 Networks

Claims

1. A program to be executed on a terminal, The chat application displays the itinerary and objects related to services based on the itinerary on the display unit of the terminal. Based on user input to the object on the terminal, the service is reserved in the reservation service linked to the chat service of the chat application, and the chat application displays reservation information on the display unit indicating that the service has been reserved in the reservation service. A program to cause the aforementioned terminal to execute.

2. The program according to claim 1, The aforementioned itinerary is generated by the user of the terminal chatting with a chatbot via the chat application. program.

3. The program according to claim 1, The reservation information includes information for displaying the reservation completion page for the reservation service on the display unit. program.

4. The program according to claim 1, The display unit shows objects relating to each of the multiple services searched based on the itinerary, including a first object relating to a first service provided by the sponsor of the chat service. The reservation information is displayed on the display unit based on the user input of the terminal to the first object, and based on the reservation of the first service in the reservation service. program.

5. The program according to claim 4, The aforementioned reservation information includes information indicating that the cost of the first service has been reduced. program.

6. The program according to claim 1, The object is a program displayed within or outside the display area of ​​the itinerary.

7. L according to claim 6, The above itinerary is the first itinerary. The aforementioned object is the first object, A program that causes the terminal to perform the following actions based on input from the terminal user to modify the first object: modifying the first journey and the first object, and displaying the modified second journey and the modified second object on the display unit.

8. The program according to claim 7, The first object is the first advertisement, The second object is a program, which is a second advertisement different from the first advertisement, or an object that is not an advertisement.

9. A terminal information processing method, The chat application displays the itinerary and objects related to services based on the itinerary on the display unit of the terminal. Based on user input to the object on the terminal, the service is reserved in the reservation service linked to the chat service of the chat application, and the chat application displays reservation information on the display unit indicating that the service has been reserved in the reservation service. Information processing methods including

10. It is a terminal, A terminal comprising a chat application that displays an itinerary and objects related to services based on the itinerary, and a display unit that displays reservation information regarding the reservation of a service in a reservation service linked to the chat service of the chat application, based on user input to the objects on the terminal.

Images