Programs, information processing devices, and systems

Abstract

To provide programs, information processing devices, and systems that reduce user waiting time. [Solution] According to the present invention, a program is provided for acquiring an application containing multiple contents, wherein a computer configured to acquire the multiple contents from a server via a network functions as a display unit, an input unit, and an acquisition unit, the display unit displays images included in already acquired contents that have been acquired while the acquisition of the multiple contents is in progress, the input unit accepts input of a command to transition the display from the currently displayed image to a desired image, and the acquisition unit, if the desired image corresponding to the command has not yet been acquired, preferentially acquires unacquired content containing the desired image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, an information processing apparatus, and a system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, applications are generally downloaded from a server to a terminal such as a smartphone via a network such as the Internet or an intranet. For example, according to the website shown in Non-Patent Document 1, a user can download various applications and install the applications on his / her terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in recent years, applications such as games have a large data capacity, and thus it takes a considerable amount of time to download all the contents constituting the application. Due to such waiting time, problems such as a user feeling psychological stress or hesitating to install the application in the first place can be considered.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a program, an information processing apparatus, and a system that suppress a user's waiting time.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the present invention, a program is provided for acquiring an application containing multiple contents, wherein a computer configured to acquire the multiple contents from a server via a network functions as a display unit, an input unit, and an acquisition unit, the display unit displays images included in already acquired contents that have been acquired while the acquisition of the multiple contents is in progress, the input unit accepts input of a command to transition the display from the currently displayed image to a desired image, and the acquisition unit, if the desired image corresponding to the command has not yet been acquired, preferentially acquires unacquired content containing the desired image.

[0007] According to the program of the present invention, user waiting time can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A functional block diagram showing the system's configuration overview. [Figure 2] [Figure 2A] Block diagram showing the hardware configuration overview of the information processing device, [Figure 2B] Functional block diagram showing the functions of the control unit. [Figure 3] An activity diagram illustrating the parallel acquisition function implemented in an information processing system. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates how the parallel acquisition function is executed while the tutorial screen is being displayed. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates how the parallel acquisition function is executed while the selection screen is displayed. [Figure 6] An overview diagram of the content list showing the priority of content retrieval. [Figure 7] An activity diagram showing the priority of content retrieval. [Figure 8] A diagram showing the content list when unobtained content is selected. [Figure 9] Figure 8 shows a diagram illustrating the content list after the replacement function has been executed. [Figure 10] [Figure 10A][Figure 10B] Diagrams showing an alternative example of the case shown in Figure 9. [Figure 11] A diagram showing the content list when new content is added to the server. [Figure 12] Figure 11 shows a diagram illustrating the content list after the replacement function has been executed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The various features shown in the embodiments below are interchangeable. In particular, in this specification, "part" may include, for example, hardware resources implemented by circuits in a broad sense and software information processing that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. In addition, various types of information (programs PG, various contents, etc.) are handled in this embodiment, and this information is represented by the high or low signal values ​​as a set of binary bits composed of 0s or 1s, and communication and calculations can be performed on circuits in a broad sense.

[0010] Furthermore, a circuit in a broad sense is a circuit realized by combining at least a suitable combination of circuits, circuits, processors, and memory. In other words, it includes application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (for example, simple programmable logic devices (SPLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), etc.

[0011] 1. Overall Structure Section 1 will sequentially describe the components included in this embodiment.

[0012] 1.1 System 1 FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system 1 according to the present embodiment. The system 1 includes a server 2 and an information processing apparatus 3. In the present embodiment, the server 2 and the information processing apparatus 3 are connected via a network N typified by the Internet or the like. Such a connection may be wired or wireless.

[0013] 1.2 Server 2 The server 2 stores an application AP including a plurality of contents. Further, it stores a program PG for acquiring (installing) the application AP. The program PG causes a computer (including a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc.) configured to be able to acquire (download) a plurality of contents from the server 2 via the network N to function as the information processing apparatus 3. The program PG may be implemented so as to be included in the application AP, or may be implemented as a separate installer. Also, the type of the application AP is not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, a game will be described as an example.

[0014] 1.3 Information Processing Apparatus 3 The information processing apparatus 3 is realized by a computer such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal and the program PG described above. Note that the information processing apparatus 3 may be realized by causing a user U of the computer to acquire the program PG from the server 2 via the network N (download), or the information processing apparatus 3 may be realized by having the program PG acquired in the computer in advance (pre-installed).

[0015] FIG. 2A shows a schematic configuration of the information processing apparatus 3, and FIG. 2B is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the control unit 33. The information processing apparatus 3 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, a display unit 34, and an input unit 35, and these components are electrically connected via a communication bus 30 inside the information processing apparatus 3. Hereinafter, each component will be further described.

[0016] <Communication unit 31> Although the wired communication means such as USB, IEEE 1394, Thunderbolt, wired LAN network communication, etc. are preferred for the communication unit 31, wireless LAN network communication, mobile communication such as LTE / 3G, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, etc. may be included as needed. These are just examples, and a dedicated communication standard may be adopted. That is, it is more preferable to implement as a collection of these multiple communication means.

[0017] In particular, as shown in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 3 is configured to be able to communicate with the server 2 via the network N by the communication unit 31. For example, the communication unit 31 receives each content included in the application AP stored in the server 2 via the network N.

[0018] <Storage unit 32> The storage unit 32 is a volatile or non-volatile storage medium that stores various information. This can be implemented as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD), or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily necessary information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to the operation of the program. Also, a combination of these may be used.

[0019] In particular, the storage unit 32 stores the program PG for acquiring the application AP as information. Also, when acquiring the application AP, it stores the content list CL that determines the acquisition order of each content (unacquired content) that has not been acquired yet as information. Furthermore, it can store the content (already acquired content) that has already been acquired as information.

[0020] <Control unit 33> The control unit 33 performs processing and control of the overall operation related to the information processing device 3. The control unit 33 is implemented, for example, as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) not shown. The control unit 33 realizes various functions related to the information processing device 3 by reading predetermined programs (including program PG) stored in the memory unit 32. Specifically, the control unit 33 acquires content such as tutorials in advance, and when the acquisition of said content is completed, it displays the screen (image) of the acquired content that has been acquired during application AP acquisition on the display unit 34. In addition, the control unit 33 has a parallel acquisition function that acquires other unacquired content in parallel while displaying acquired content such as tutorials (see Figures 3 to 5), and a swapping function that rearranges the acquisition order in the content list CL stored in the memory unit 32 when the input unit 35, described later, receives input of a command to transition the display from the screen of the currently displayed acquired content to the screen of the desired content (see Figures 7 to 9). These functions will be described in more detail in Section 2.

[0021] In other words, information processing performed by software (stored in the memory unit 32) is concretely realized by hardware (the control unit 33), and can be executed as the acquisition unit 331 and the replacement unit 332. Although Figure 2A shows a single control unit 33, in reality, it is not limited to this, and it may be implemented with multiple control units 33 for each function. A combination of these may also be used. The acquisition unit 331 and the replacement unit 332 will be described in more detail below.

[0022] [Acquisition unit 331] The acquisition unit 331 is a system where information processing by software (stored in the memory unit 32) is concretely implemented by hardware (control unit 33). The acquisition unit 331 acquires each content of the application AP stored in the server 2 via the communication unit 31 and the network N. It should be noted that the acquisition unit 331 acquires other unacquired content in parallel even when the display unit 34 (described later) is displaying at least one of the already acquired contents (such as a tutorial) (parallel acquisition function). Furthermore, the acquisition unit 331 sequentially acquires unacquired content based on the acquisition order in the content list CL stored in the memory unit 32.

[0023] [Replacement section 332] The swapping unit 332 is where information processing by software (stored in the memory unit 32) is concretely realized by hardware (control unit 33). When the input unit 35, described later, receives an input command to transition the display from the currently displayed acquired content to the desired content, the swapping unit 332 swaps the acquisition order in the content list CL stored in the memory unit 32.

[0024] <Display section 34> The display unit 34 may be included in the housing of the information processing device 3, for example, or it may be an external component. The display unit 34 displays a graphical user interface (GUI) screen that can be operated by the user U. This is preferably implemented by using different display devices such as a CRT display, liquid crystal display, organic EL display, and plasma display, depending on the type of information processing device 3. The display device can selectively display the GUI screen in response to a predetermined control signal from the control unit 33. To elaborate on the GUI, specific interfaces such as input forms and radio buttons may be displayed.

[0025] The display unit 34 displays images included in already acquired content while the acquisition unit 331 is acquiring unacquired content (parallel acquisition function). For example, as shown in Figure 4, the display unit 34 displays a tutorial screen (image), which is content for instructing user U on how to operate the application AP. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the display unit 34 displays content included in the application AP (here, game elements α to γ) for selection. A selection screen is displayed. In particular, by displaying an image of the meter 34d on the display unit 34, the user U can understand what percentage of the total content capacity included in the application AP has been acquired. For example, Figure 4 shows that 19% of the capacity has been acquired, and Figure 5 shows that 35% of the capacity has been acquired.

[0026] <Input section 35> The input unit 35 may be included in the housing of the information processing device 3 or it may be external. For example, the input unit 35 may be integrated with the display unit 34 and implemented as a touch panel. If it is a touch panel, the user U can input tap operations, swipe operations, etc. Of course, instead of a touch panel, a switch button, mouse, QWERTY keyboard, etc. may be used. In other words, the input unit 35 receives operation input made by the user U. This input is transmitted as a command signal to the control unit 33 via the communication bus 30, and the control unit 33 can execute predetermined controls and calculations as needed.

[0027] In particular, the input unit 35 receives an input command to transition the display from an image included in the currently displayed acquired content to an image related to the desired content. For example, if the input unit 35 is a touch panel integrated with the display unit 34, as shown in Figure 5, when user U taps button 34c on the selection screen, the input command is received to transition the display to the screen (image) of game element γ, which is a content of the application AP. If the content constituting game element γ (desired content) is already acquired content, the control unit 33 displays the screen of game element γ on the display unit 34 based on this command. On the other hand, if the image of the content constituting game element γ (desired content) has not been acquired, the acquisition unit 331 prioritizes acquiring the unacquired content (content constituting game element γ) that includes the image.

[0028] Similarly, when user U taps button 34a on the selection screen, the system accepts an input command to transition the display to the screen of game element α, which is a content of application AP. When user U taps button 34b on the selection screen, the system accepts an input command to transition the display to the screen of game element β, which is a content of application AP.

[0029] 2. Explanation of each function Section 2 will describe the various functions implemented by the information processing device 3 according to this embodiment.

[0030] 2.1 Parallel Acquisition Function Figure 3 is an activity diagram showing the parallel acquisition function implemented in the information processing device 3. Figure 4 shows the mode in which the parallel acquisition function is executed while the tutorial screen is displayed, and Figure 5 shows the mode in which the parallel acquisition function is executed while the selection screen is displayed. Figure 6 is an overview diagram of the content list CL, which shows the priority of content acquisition. The parallel acquisition function will be explained below in accordance with each activity in the activity diagram shown in Figure 3.

[0031] [From here] (Activity A1) The application AP is acquired by the program PG stored in the memory unit 32 of the information processing device 3. In activity A1, the acquisition unit 331 acquires the initial content included in the application AP. Here, initial content refers to the minimum content necessary for user U to use the application AP, and includes the title screen at startup, the tutorial screen (see Figure 4), or the selection screen where each content can be selected (see Figure 5). In the content list CL shown in Figure 6, contents A to C are the initial content and are acquired preferentially without relying on the replacement function described later. In other words, the acquisition unit 331 preferentially acquires the selection screen content where each content can be selected or the tutorial content that explains each content.

[0032] (Activity A2) After Activity A1 is completed, Activity A2 is executed in parallel with Activity A3, which will be described later. In Activity A2, the display unit 34 displays a screen related to the initial content acquired in Activity A1.

[0033] (Activity A3) After Activity A1 is completed, Activity A3 is executed in parallel with Activity A2. In Activity A3, the acquisition unit 331 acquires the content with the highest acquisition priority in the content list CL stored in the storage unit 32. Activity A3 is executed sequentially until there is no more unacquired content in the content list CL. [to this point]

[0034] In other words, the parallel acquisition function is executed by processing activities A2 and A3 in parallel. This allows user U to launch the application before all content has finished downloading. As a result, waiting times are reduced, mitigating issues such as user U experiencing psychological stress or hesitating to install the application altogether.

[0035] 2.2 Replacement Function Figure 7 is an activity diagram related to the priority of content acquisition. Figure 8 shows the content list CL when unacquired content is selected, Figure 9 shows the content list CL when the replacement function is executed in the case shown in Figure 8, and Figures 10A and 10B show alternative examples of Figure 9. The replacement function will be explained below in accordance with each activity in the activity diagram shown in Figure 7.

[0036] [From here] (Activity A2) Activity A2 is executed in parallel with Activity A3. In Activity A2, the display unit 34 displays a selection screen (see Figure 5), which is an example of initial content.

[0037] (Activity A3) Activity A3 is executed in parallel with Activity A2. In Activity A3, the acquisition unit 331 acquires the content with the highest acquisition priority in the content list CL stored in the storage unit 32. Activity A3 is executed sequentially until there is no more unacquired content in the content list CL. Also, please note that since the acquisition priority in the content list CL is rearranged in Activities A4 and A5 described later, Activity A3 is executed based on the latest content list CL.

[0038] (Activity A4) Activity A4 is executed at a timing desired by user U during the execution of Activities A2 and A3. In Activity A4, the input unit 35 receives a command from the display unit 34 to transition from the selection screen currently displayed to the desired content. For example, when user U taps button 34c on the selection screen shown in Figure 5, the display transitions to the screen (image) of game element γ, which is a content of application AP. It accepts input commands.

[0039] (Activity A5) If the image of the desired game element γ in Activity A4 is not yet acquired content, Activity A5 is executed. In Activity A5, the swapping unit 332 swaps the acquisition order in the content list CL stored in the storage unit 32 (swapping function). In the specific example shown in Figure 8, when Activity A4 is executed, the top-ranking content in the content list CL is content D (which constitutes game element α), and game element γ is composed of unacquired content H and I. Also, content H and I are ranked lower in acquisition order than content D to G.

[0040] In Activity A5, the swapping function is executed, and as shown in Figure 9, the acquisition order of Contents H and I is changed to a higher priority. In other words, the swapping unit 332 rearranges the acquisition order in Content List CL so that the acquisition of Content H (followed by Content I), which is the desired content, begins after Content D, which is currently being acquired.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 10A and 10B, the acquisition of content D, which is currently being acquired, may be interrupted, and the acquisition of the desired content, content H (followed by content I), may be prioritized. In other words, when the input unit 35 receives a command to transition to the screen of the desired content, game element γ (content H, I), the acquisition unit 331 interrupts the acquisition of content D, which is currently being acquired, and the swapping unit 332 rearranges the acquisition order in the content list CL so that the acquisition of the desired content begins.

[0042] (Activity A6) Once the acquisition of the desired content, game element γ, which consists of content H and I, is complete, the display unit 34 transitions to the screen for game element γ and displays it. Alternatively, after the acquisition of content H is complete, the screen related to content H (part of game element γ) may be displayed, or the screen for game element γ may be displayed after the acquisition of both content H and I, which constitute game element γ, is complete. [to this point]

[0043] In other words, while Activity A3 is running, the swapping functions of Activities A4 and A5 can be executed. This ensures that the content desired by User U is retrieved preferentially. As a result, waiting times are reduced, mitigating problems such as user psychological stress and hesitation to install the app.

[0044] 3. Others The aforementioned swapping function could be further refined with creative ideas.

[0045] Generally, application APs stored on server 2 may be updated with additional content after the initial installation. Such additional content can generate buzz, leading to an increase in users U who download the application APs to their computers. These users U are presumably those who acquired the application APs specifically for the additional content.

[0046] Therefore, it is preferable for the acquisition unit 331 to prioritize acquiring additional content (new content) that has been updated when the server 2 has stored such content. Here, Figure 11 shows the content list CL when new content, content Y and Z which constitute the game element ν, has been added to the server 2, and Figure 12 shows the content list CL when the replacement function has been executed in the case shown in Figure 11. That is, based on the update date and time associated with the additional content, the replacement unit 332 should rearrange the acquisition order so that content Y and Z, which are the additional content, are acquired preferentially after the initial content.

[0047] 4. Conclusion As described above, this embodiment provides a program PG that suppresses the waiting time for the user U that previously occurred due to the installation time of the application AP and the loading time of each content. Such a program PG may be provided as a non-temporary recording medium that can be read by a computer (information processing device 3), or it may be provided so that it can be downloaded from an external server 2, or so-called cloud computing may be implemented in which the program is launched on an external computer and each function can be performed on the client terminal.

[0048] In other words, a program is provided for acquiring an application containing multiple contents, wherein a computer configured to acquire the multiple contents from a server via a network functions as a display unit, an input unit, and an acquisition unit, the display unit displays images included in already acquired contents that have been acquired while the acquisition of the multiple contents is in progress, the input unit accepts input of a command to transition the display from the currently displayed image to a desired image, and the acquisition unit, if the desired image corresponding to the command has not yet been acquired, preferentially acquires unacquired content containing the desired image.

[0049] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing device 3 that suppresses the waiting time for the user U that previously occurred due to the installation time of the application AP and the loading time of each content.

[0050] In other words, an information processing device is provided, comprising an acquisition unit, a display unit, and an input unit, wherein the acquisition unit executes an installer for an application containing multiple contents and acquires the multiple contents from a server via a network, the display unit displays images included in already acquired contents that have been acquired while the multiple contents are being acquired, and the input unit accepts input of a command to transition the display from the currently displayed image to a desired image, and here, if the desired image corresponding to the command has not yet been acquired, the acquisition unit preferentially acquires unacquired content including the image.

[0051] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a system 1 that suppresses the waiting time for user U that conventionally occurred due to the installation time of application AP and the loading time of each content.

[0052] In other words, a system is provided comprising a server and an information processing device, wherein the server stores an application containing multiple contents, the information processing device is configured to be connectable to the server via a network and comprises an acquisition unit, a display unit, and an input unit, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the multiple contents from the server via the network, the display unit displays images included in already acquired contents that have been acquired while the acquisition of the multiple contents is in progress, and the input unit accepts input of a command to transition the display from the currently displayed image to a desired image, and here, if the desired image corresponding to the command has not yet been acquired, the acquisition unit preferentially acquires unacquired content including the image.

[0053] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described, these are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1: System 2: Server 3: Information Processing Device 30: Communications bus 31: Communications Department 32: Storage section 33: Control Unit 331: Acquisition Department 332: Replacement section 34: Display section 34a: Button 34b: Button 34c: Button 34d: Meter 35: Input section AP: Application CL: Content List N: Network PG: Program U: User

Claims

1. An application program that includes multiple game elements, A computer configured to acquire the aforementioned multiple game elements from a server via a network is configured to function as a display unit, an input unit, and an acquisition unit. The display unit displays an image of the first game element that has been acquired, from the time it starts acquiring the plurality of game elements until it has finished acquiring all of the plurality of game elements. The input unit receives an input of a command to transition the display from the currently displayed first game element to an image of a second game element selected from among the game elements to which it can be transitioned. The acquisition unit, if the second game element has not yet been acquired, prioritizes acquiring the second game element. Application program.

2. In the application program described in claim 1, The display unit displays an image of the second game element after the acquisition of the second game element is complete. Application program.

3. In the application program described in claim 1 or claim 2, The aforementioned computer is further made to function as a replacement unit, The swapping unit, after displaying the image of the first game element, enables rearranging the acquisition order of unacquired game elements among the plurality of game elements. Application program.

4. In the application program described in claim 3, The swapping unit rearranges the acquisition order so that the acquisition of the second game element begins after the game element currently being acquired. Application program.

5. In the application program described in claim 3, When the input unit receives the command, the acquisition unit interrupts the acquisition of the game element currently being acquired. The swapping unit rearranges the acquisition order so that the acquisition of the second game element begins. Application program.

6. In the application program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The aforementioned multiple game elements include a game tutorial, The acquisition unit acquires the game elements that constitute the tutorial, and then acquires the first game element. Application program.

7. An information processing device, It comprises an acquisition unit, a display unit, and an input unit. The acquisition unit executes an application program containing multiple game elements and acquires the multiple game elements from the server via the network. The display unit displays an image of the first game element that has been acquired, before the acquisition of all of the multiple game elements is completed, after the acquisition of the multiple game elements has started. The input unit receives an input of a command to transition the display from the first game element currently on display to a second game element selected from among the game elements to which it can be transitioned. Here, if the acquisition unit has not yet acquired the second game element, it will prioritize acquiring the second game element. Information processing device.

8. It is a system, It comprises a server and an information processing device. The server stores an application program that includes multiple game elements, The aforementioned information processing device is The server is configured to be connectable via a network, and It comprises an acquisition unit, a display unit, and an input unit. The acquisition unit acquires the multiple game elements from the server via the network, The display unit displays an image of the first game element that has been acquired, before the acquisition of all of the multiple game elements is completed, after the acquisition of the multiple game elements has started. The input unit receives an input of a command to transition the display from the first game element currently on display to a second game element selected from among the game elements to which it can be transitioned. Here, if the acquisition unit has not yet acquired the second game element, it will prioritize acquiring the second game element. system.

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