Event proposal device, control method for event proposal device, event proposal program, and event proposal system

Abstract

To promote interaction among users. [Solution] The event suggestion device includes an acquisition unit that receives a suggestion request for an event to be held for a group or other group from a first user belonging to a group composed of multiple users, and acquires at least one candidate event information based on the suggestion request, and an output unit that outputs the candidate event information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for proposing events to users.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, systems for maintaining and promoting social connections between people, such as those described in Patent Document 1, have been widely used.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] It is desired to promote communication between users in a group composed of a plurality of users, such as within a company, a department, or between a plurality of groups.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] An event proposal apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a generation unit that generates at least one piece of candidate information for the event based on a proposal request for an event to be held for the group or another group, received from a first user belonging to the group composed of a plurality of users, and an output unit that outputs the candidate information for the event generated by the generation unit.

[0006] A control method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a control method for an event proposal apparatus, and includes a step of generating at least one piece of candidate information for the event based on a proposal request for an event to be held for the group or another group, received from a first user belonging to the group composed of a plurality of users, and a step of outputting the generated candidate information for the event.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to propose an event for a group consisting of multiple users, which can facilitate interaction among users within or between such groups. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the event proposal system according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This flowchart shows an example of the event proposal processing flow in the event proposal device according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows an example of the flow of event notification processing and manual provision processing in the event proposal device described above. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows an example of the matching process flow in the event suggestion device described above. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the matching system according to Embodiment 2 of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the various components of an event suggestion system 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure as a plurality of functional blocks. The event suggestion system 100 may receive a suggestion request for an event to be held for a set or other set from a user belonging to a set composed of a plurality of users, and may output at least one candidate event information based on the suggestion request.

[0010] The event proposal system 100 may be used by multiple users belonging to one set, or by multiple users belonging to multiple sets. By using the event proposal system 100, it is possible to promote interaction among users belonging to one set, or interaction among users across multiple sets. As a result, it is possible to strengthen the connections between multiple users or between multiple sets. The event proposal system 100 may also function as an application that promotes interaction between multiple users or between multiple sets.

[0011] In this disclosure, a set may be, but is not limited to, a conceptual set of users categorized by, for example, company, department, work history, year of employment, region, hobbies / preferences, age, gender, etc. The region may be, for example, place of residence, place of origin, or place of work.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the event suggestion system 100 may include multiple terminal devices and an event suggestion device 10 that can communicate with multiple terminal devices. The number of terminal devices that can communicate with the event suggestion device 10 is not limited and can be any number. In this embodiment, the event suggestion system 100 includes terminal device 1A and terminal device 1B as multiple terminal devices. That is, two terminal devices (terminal device 1A and terminal device 1B) are given as examples of terminal devices that can communicate with the event suggestion device 10.

[0013] (Terminal devices 1A and 1B) Terminal device 1A is owned by the first user. Terminal device 1B is owned by the second user. The first user belongs to a set of multiple users. The second user also belongs to a set of multiple users. The first set to which the first user belongs and the second set to which the second user belongs may be the same set or they may be different sets. If the first set and the second set are the same set, then the first user may belong to the second set, and the second user may belong to the first set. In the following explanation, when referring to users who use the event proposal system 100, they will simply be referred to as users.

[0014] Terminal devices 1A and 1B may be, for example, smartphones, personal computers, or tablets, but are not particularly limited as long as they are terminal devices that can communicate with the event suggestion device 10.In this disclosure, when it is not necessary to distinguish between terminal devices 1A and 1B, terminal devices 1A and 1B are collectively referred to as terminal device 1.

[0015] Terminal devices 1A and 1B do not need to have the same configuration, but in this embodiment, they are assumed to have the same configuration. In the configuration of terminal device 1B, blocks that have the same name as the functional blocks in terminal device 1A are assumed to have the same function as the functional blocks in terminal device 1A, and their explanation is omitted.

[0016] The terminal device 1A may include a main control unit 2A, an input unit 5A, a display unit 6A, and a storage unit 7A.

[0017] The main control unit 2A is a functional block that performs various controls in the terminal device 1A. In other words, the main control unit 2A can perform various controls in the terminal device 1A. The main control unit 2A may include a request generation unit 3A and an output control unit 4A. The request generation unit 3A may generate various requests for the event proposal device 10 according to an instruction input by the user via the input unit 5A. The output control unit 4A may perform control to display various information received from the event proposal device 10 on the display unit 6A.

[0018] The input unit 5A may be an input device such as a touch panel, a keyboard, or a mouse. The display unit 6A may be a display device as an output device including a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic electroluminescence panel. The terminal device 1A may include a speaker as an output device. The storage unit 7A may be a storage device that stores various programs and data for operating the terminal device 1A.

[0019] (Event Proposal Device 10) The event proposal device 10 may include a main control unit 11, a model 13, and a database 21. In the present disclosure, the model 13 may also be referred to as a generation unit 13. The main control unit 11 is a functional block that performs various controls in the event proposal device 10. In other words, the main control unit 11 can perform various controls in the event proposal device 10. The main control unit 11 may include an acquisition unit 12, an output unit 14, an event management unit 15, a matching unit 19, and a learning control unit 20.

[0020] The acquisition unit 12 may receive an event proposal request from the user and acquire at least one candidate information of the event based on the proposal request. In the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 12 receives an event proposal request for an event held for the first set or other sets to which the first user belongs from the terminal device 1A owned by the first user. Then, the acquisition unit 12 is described as acquiring at least one candidate information of the event from the model 13 based on the proposal request.

[0021] The other set may be a set that includes the first set or a set different from the first set. The other set may be the second set. The other set may be one set or a plurality of sets.

[0022] The output unit 14 may output the candidate information of the event acquired by the acquisition unit 12 to the terminal device 1A.

[0023] The model 13 may generate candidate information of an event in response to a proposal request for an event. The model 13 may be a pre-trained machine learning model. Deep learning, reinforcement learning, transfer learning, or a combination thereof may be performed as machine learning, and the learning method is not particularly limited. The model 13 may be constituted by a neural network, and the architecture of the model 13 is not particularly limited.

[0024] As the model 13, a natural language processing model may be used. As the natural language processing model, a large language model (LLM) such as GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) may be used, or a BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) - based model may be used.

[0025] In the present embodiment, an example in which the event proposal device 10 includes one model as the model 13 will be described. However, as the model 13, a plurality of models specialized for each of a plurality of types of processing performed by the event proposal device 10 may be provided. Further, at least a part of the plurality of models may be provided in an external device communicably connected to the event proposal device 10.

[0026] Model 13 functions as a generator 13 that generates candidate event information in response to an event proposal request, but the generator 13 may have a predetermined algorithm or mathematical model, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the generator 13 may have a combination of Model 13, an algorithm or mathematical model.

[0027] The event management unit 15 is proposed by Model 13 and manages events adopted by the user. The event management unit 15 includes a notification control unit 16, an evaluation management unit 17, and a manual provision unit 18.

[0028] The notification control unit 16 notifies users of the event proposal system 100 of events that have been adopted by users and are scheduled to be held.

[0029] The Evaluation Management Unit 17 receives and manages user participation intentions for announced events, user evaluations of announced events, or evaluations of users who participated in events that were held.

[0030] The manual provision unit 18 provides the user with a manual for holding the announced event, in response to the user's request.

[0031] The matching unit 19 may perform matching between users who use the event proposal system 100. The matching unit 19 may perform matching based on a predetermined algorithm or a machine learning model.

[0032] The learning control unit 20 retrains the model 13 based on its evaluation of events proposed to the user, announced, or held.

[0033] (Model 13's learning method) For example, a machine-trained model 13 that outputs at least one event may be generated by training a model such as a neural network using a set of pre-prepared first training data as input information. Model 13 may be generated, for example, by performing unsupervised learning using a set of first training data as described later.

[0034] For example, the following information may be used as the first training data: at least one of the following may be used: attribute information of the user using the application, information on the user's preferences, information on the group to which the user belongs, and information on events that the user is expected to host.

[0035] As user attribute information, for example, the department, company, work history, year of employment, work location, place of residence, place of origin, hobbies / preferences, age, gender, etc., or a combination thereof, of multiple users using the application may be used. As user attribute information, the activity history of multiple users in the application may also be used. Such activity history may include, for example, the content of thread posts on a bulletin board prepared according to a certain theme, and the content of chats with other users.

[0036] The user preference information may include the hobbies or preferences of the aforementioned multiple users, or a combination thereof, and may also include tag information that these multiple users have previously assigned to the application.

[0037] As information about the set to which a user belongs, for example, the size or industry of the company to which the multiple users belong may be used. Alternatively, attribute information of the set may be used as information about the set to which a user belongs. Such attribute information may include company, department, work history, year of joining the company, place of work, place of residence, place of origin, hobbies / preferences, age, gender, or a combination thereof.

[0038] As information about an event that a user is expected to host, the user may use any keywords entered by the multiple users mentioned above, or preset keywords. These keywords may include, for example, the date, time, and location of the event, event tags, whether it is a public or private event, whether it is online or offline, the atmosphere of the event, the attributes, hobbies, and preferences of the expected participants, or a combination of these.

[0039] Furthermore, the following information may be used as the first training data: at least one of the following: information about events held in the past for the purpose of the collection, evaluation information showing evaluations of events held in the past, and information about events in which users have participated. The event information may be information about the type of event, such as sports, music, athletic meet, commemorative ceremony, party, or festival, or it may be information about the content of various events, such as soccer, baseball, jazz, classical music, sprint, or marathon. The evaluation information may be first evaluation information showing evaluations by the organizers of events held in the past, or second evaluation information showing evaluations by participants of those events. The evaluation information may include textual information such as comments or impressions entered by the organizers or participants. Alternatively, the evaluation information may include reaction information such as "likes" entered by the organizers or participants showing reactions to events held in the past.

[0040] In addition, external information may be used as the first training data. External information may include, for example, seasonal information or calendar information. Seasonal information or calendar information may include, for example, seasonal information such as the school entrance / graduation season, summer vacation, autumn foliage season, Christmas and New Year's. External information may also include, for example, weather information. Weather information may include weather information such as the rainy season, snow, rain and sunny weather. External information may also include map information. Map information may include, for example, information about facilities such as restaurants, gymnasiums, parks, and amusement parks, or information about the locations of facilities. External information may also include information about the reservation status of facilities.

[0041] The first training data may be information anticipated when using the event suggestion system 100, or it may be information about users and events obtained by using the event suggestion system 100. That is, the first training data may be the basic information and additional information described later, which are acquired by the acquisition unit 12. In the latter case, the model 13 can be updated when it is in a state where candidate event information can be generated. The model 13 update process may be performed, for example, at regular intervals.

[0042] Alternatively, for example, model 13 may be made to function as a machine-trained model that outputs an event manual by training a model such as a neural network using multiple pre-prepared second training data as input information. As the second training data, for example, a general manual for operating the event, depending on the type or scale of the event, may be used. The machine-trained model that outputs the event manual may be generated as a separate model from model 13.

[0043] (Model training method as matching unit 19) This section describes an example of a model training method when the matching unit 19 is implemented as a machine learning model.

[0044] For example, by using multiple pre-prepared third-party training data as input information to train a model such as a neural network, a machine-learned model that predicts the compatibility between users or between groups of users using the event suggestion system 100 may be generated.

[0045] As third-party learning data, for example, the following information may be used: at least one of the following: attribute information of the user using the application, information on the user's preferences, information on the group to which the user belongs, information on events the user has participated in in the past, and categories for finding matching partners. These categories may be, for example, friends, romantic partners, spouses, business partners, or business partners, but are not particularly limited.

[0046] Furthermore, as third-party training data, for example, a set of attribute information of two users to be matched and compatibility information indicating the degree of compatibility between those users may be used. As third-party training data, generally known attribute information of two users and compatibility information between those users may be used. Alternatively, for users belonging to the set in which the event suggestion system 100 is used, information on the relationship between two users after matching, that is, whether they were able to maintain a good relationship after actually dating, may be used as compatibility information. The attribute information of the two users may include the attributes and preferences of those users.

[0047] In other words, the third training data may include, for example, (i) a set of attribute information for a first user (any arbitrary user) and attribute information for a second user (any other arbitrary user), and (ii) compatibility information between the first user and the second user. By preparing multiple such third training data sets and using them as input information to the model, a machine-learned model that predicts the compatibility may be generated.

[0048] The third training data may be information anticipated when using the event suggestion system 100, or it may be information about users and events obtained by using the event suggestion system 100. In other words, the basic information described later, acquired by the acquisition unit 12, may be used as the third training data. In the latter case, the machine-learned model that predicts compatibility can be updated when it is in a state where candidate event information can be generated. The model update process may be performed, for example, at regular intervals.

[0049] (An example of the processing flow in the event suggestion device 10) (Event proposal processing) Figure 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the event proposal processing flow in the event proposal device 10.

[0050] When the first user of terminal device 1A requests an event proposal, Model 13 inputs the necessary information for Model 13 to propose an event to terminal device 1A via input unit 5A, along with the event proposal instruction (S1). The information used to make the proposal is referred to as basic information. The basic information may include at least one of the following: attribute information of the first user, preference information of the first user, information about the group to which the first user belongs (group information), and information about the event that the first user wishes to hold.

[0051] The attribute information of the first user may include, for example, department, company, work history, year of joining the company, work location, place of residence, place of origin, hobbies / preferences, age, gender, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the attribute information of the first user may include the first user's activity history in the application on which the event suggestion system 100 functions. The first user's activity history may include, for example, the content of thread posts and chat content made by the first user.

[0052] The first user's preference information may consist of hobbies, preferences, or a combination thereof, and tag information previously assigned by the first user in the event suggestion system 100 may also be used as preference information. The first user and the tag information assigned by the first user may be linked and stored in the database 21.

[0053] As aggregate information for the first user, for example, the size or industry of the company to which the first user belongs may be used. This information may be entered when recruiting participants for an event targeting multiple companies. Alternatively, attribute information of the first set may be used as aggregate information for the first user. This attribute information may include company, department, work history, year of joining the company, place of work, place of residence, place of origin, hobbies / interests, age, gender, or a combination thereof.

[0054] If attribute information, aggregate information, or tag information of the first user is pre-associated with the first user's ID (identifier), the model 13 may be made able to obtain the information associated with that ID by inputting the ID into terminal device 1A.

[0055] As information about the event desired by the first user, the first user may enter any keyword, or the first user may select from a set of preset keywords. For example, the keywords mentioned above may be used as such. In addition, the keywords may include content indicated by the external information mentioned above.

[0056] When the request generation unit 3A receives an event proposal instruction and basic information input from the first user, it may generate an event proposal request that requests model 13 to propose an event (S2). The request generation unit 3A may include the basic information as is in the event proposal request. If the user inputs an arbitrary string as at least part of the basic information, the request generation unit 3A may extract keywords from the string or summarize the string and include the keywords or summary in the event proposal request. Model 13 may perform such keyword extraction and / or summarization.

[0057] The request generation unit 3A may transmit the generated event proposal request (first event proposal request) to the acquisition unit 12 (S3).

[0058] When the acquisition unit 12 receives the first event proposal request, it may input it into the model 13. In addition to the basic information included in the first event proposal request, the acquisition unit 12 may input additional information into the model 13 that the first user did not explicitly input. The additional information is stored in the database 21, and the acquisition unit 12 may retrieve the additional information by accessing the database 21.

[0059] As mentioned above, additional information may include attribute information, group information, or tag information of the first user associated with the first user's ID. Additional information may also include at least one of the following: information about events previously held for the first group to which the first user belongs, evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the said previously held events, and information about events in which the first user participated. Additional information may also include information about events previously held for groups other than the first group.

[0060] This configuration allows Model 13 to generate candidate information indicating potential events using basic information, including the personal information of the first user. Furthermore, Model 13 can generate candidate event information using additional information, and can suggest event candidates by considering historical information of events previously held in the first set or other sets. Therefore, it can suggest event candidates suitable for the first set by considering trends in events held in the first set or other sets. It can also suggest popular events held in the first set or other sets as candidates. Additionally, it can suggest events that the first user prefers as candidates, among other benefits.

[0061] Model 13 may generate at least one candidate event information based on the basic information included in the first event information, or based on the basic information and additional information, and transmit it to the acquisition unit 12. If the first user does not input basic information, Model 13 may generate candidate information based only on the additional information.

[0062] Furthermore, Model 13 may generate candidate event information using the external information described above. Based on the basic information obtained via the input unit 5A and the seasonal information included in the external information, Model 13 may generate candidate event information that takes into account the season at the planned time and location of the event.

[0063] Model 13 may also generate candidate event information using weather information. The weather information may be, for example, weather information for the time and place of the event included in the basic information obtained via the input unit 5A. Model 13 may obtain the weather information, for example, via the internet. Based on the basic information obtained via the input unit 5A and the obtained weather information, Model 13 may generate candidate event information that takes into account the weather at the time and place of the planned event.

[0064] Model 13 may also acquire information other than weather information via the internet and use it to generate candidate event information. The information acquired via the internet may be, for example, at least one of the following: information about events held in the past at or near a location related to the first user, and evaluation information indicating an evaluation of such events. The location may be, for example, at least one of the following: a place where the first user wishes to hold an event, the first user's place of residence, birthplace, or workplace, a location included in the content of thread posts and chats by the first user, and a location related to the first user's hobbies.

[0065] Model 13 may generate at least one candidate event information based on a request for event proposals from a first user belonging to a first set composed of multiple users, for an event to be held for the first set or other sets. The acquisition unit 12 may then acquire the candidate event information generated by Model 13 (S4).

[0066] The acquisition unit 12 may transmit the acquired candidate information to the output unit 14. That is, the output unit 14 may output the candidate event information generated by the model 13 to the terminal device 1A (S5). As a result, the event suggestion device 10 can generate and output candidate events for a group composed of multiple users. Therefore, the event suggestion device 10 can suggest candidate events to the first user, thereby promoting interaction between users within or between groups. The candidate event information output in S5 is referred to as the first candidate information.

[0067] The output control unit 4A of the terminal device 1A may display the received first candidate information on the display unit 6A (S6).

[0068] The first user may review the displayed first candidate information and input an evaluation of the first candidate information (S7). This evaluation may be sent to the evaluation management unit 17 and used for retraining the model 13. If the first user is not satisfied with the content of the events indicated by the first candidate information, they may input an instruction to propose an event again. In this case, the first user may identify or change undesirable content in the content of the events indicated by the first candidate information, or specify additional desirable content. That is, such instructions regarding changes or additions to the first candidate information may be included in the instruction to propose an event again.

[0069] The request generation unit 3A may generate an event proposal request (second event proposal request) based on the second event proposal instruction entered by the first user (S8) and send it to the acquisition unit 12 (S9).

[0070] When the acquisition unit 12 receives a second event proposal request, it may input it to the model 13. The model 13 may generate at least one candidate event information (second candidate information) based on the second event proposal request and send it to the acquisition unit 12. That is, the model 13 may generate at least one second candidate information based on the evaluation of the first candidate information generated by the first user (S10). This allows the model 13 to modify the generated event candidate information based on the evaluation of the candidate information by the first user.

[0071] The acquisition unit 12 may transmit the acquired second candidate information to the output unit 14. The output unit 14 may output the second candidate information acquired by the acquisition unit 12 to the terminal device 1A (S11).

[0072] The output control unit 4A of the terminal device 1A may display the received second candidate information on the display unit 6A (S12). If the first user is satisfied with the content of the event indicated by at least one of the displayed second candidate information, they can select that second candidate information (S13).

[0073] In the process described above, Model 13 makes two event suggestions, but Model 13 may make one event suggestion, or three or more.

[0074] When the first user selects one of the at least one proposed candidate information at least once, selection information, which identifies the selected candidate information, may be transmitted to the notification control unit 16 of the event management unit 15 (S14). At this time, the first user may specify the destination for the notification information that will announce the event indicated by the selected candidate information, that is, to which set the notification information should be sent. Alternatively, the terminal devices 1 of some users among a group of users belonging to a certain set may be specified as the destination for the notification information. The destination for the notification information may be included in the selection information and transmitted to the notification control unit 16.

[0075] (Event notification processing) Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the event notification processing and manual provision processing flow in the event suggestion device 10. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the first set and the second set are specified as destinations for sending notification information.

[0076] When the notification control unit 16 receives selection information (S21), it may send notification information announcing the event corresponding to the selection information to the user belonging to the first set and the user belonging to the second set (S22). In other words, the notification control unit 16 may notify the second user belonging to the first set or other sets of information about the selected event selected by the first user from among the candidate event information of at least one event generated by Model 13. This makes it possible to facilitate interaction between the first user and the second user belonging to the first set or other sets through the selected event.

[0077] The notification information may be transmitted to each terminal device 1 owned by multiple users. Furthermore, the notification information may be transmitted to each terminal device 1 owned by multiple users belonging to the first set. Furthermore, the notification information may be transmitted to each terminal device 1 owned by multiple users belonging to the second set. Furthermore, the notification information may be transmitted to each terminal device 1 owned by multiple users belonging to both the first set and the second set. In Figure 3, terminal devices 1 owned by users other than the first user, belonging to the first set, are not shown. The notification information may also be transmitted to terminal device 1A owned by the first user.

[0078] The announcement information may include information such as the location and time of the event, the content of the event, information about the event organizer, the target audience for the event, participation conditions, tags set by the organizer, or a message from the organizer. The event organizer indicated in the announcement information may be the first user.

[0079] When a terminal device 1B owned by a second user, who is one of the users, receives notification information, it may display the notification information on the display unit 6B via the output control unit 4B (S23). The second user may belong to a second set different from the first set. If the output control unit 4B receives multiple notification pieces of information, it may prioritize displaying notification information for events that match the second user's preferences based on the tag information set by the second user. In addition, if the output control unit 4B receives notification information that includes tags that match the tags set by the second user, it may send a push notification.

[0080] Furthermore, if the output control unit 4B receives multiple notification pieces of information, it may display the multiple notification pieces of information in order of the timing of the events included in the notification pieces of information.

[0081] Furthermore, the output control unit 4B may distinguish between official events of the first or second set, for example, events hosted by companies that constitute the main body of the set, and events hosted by individual users. When company-hosted events are designated as first events and user-hosted events as second events, the output control unit 4B may emphasize the first events more than the second events. For example, the output control unit 4B may display the first events above the second events, display them larger than the second events, or display them in a different color than the second events. Whether to set the first events as company-hosted events or user-hosted events may be set by the user as appropriate.

[0082] Furthermore, the output control unit 4B may determine, for example, whether the event indicated by the notification information is an event that is likely to be compatible with the second user, based on the second user's attribute information, the second user's preference information, and information about the group to which the second user belongs. The output control unit 4B may make this determination based on at least one of these pieces of information. The second user's attribute information, the second user's preference information, and information about the group to which the second user belongs may correspond to the first user's attribute information, the first user's preference information, and information about the group to which the first user belongs, respectively.

[0083] The output control unit 4B may display notification information if it determines that the event indicated by the notification information is an event that is estimated to be highly likely to be compatible with the second user. If the output control unit 4B receives multiple notification pieces of information, it may display at least one notification piece of information that it has determined to be an event that is estimated to be highly likely to be compatible with the second user. Furthermore, if the output control unit 4B receives multiple notification pieces of information, it may display multiple notification pieces of information in the order in which they are estimated to be highly likely to be compatible with the second user, based on the attribute information of the second user described above. The output control unit 4B does not have to display notification information if it determines that the event indicated by the notification information is an event that is estimated to be unlikely to be compatible with the second user. Whether or not an event is highly likely to be compatible with the second user may be determined, for example, based on a pre-set threshold.

[0084] The output control unit 4B may display events that are presumed to be highly compatible with the second user (also called the first event) with more emphasis than events that are presumed to be less compatible with the second user (also called the second event). For example, the output control unit 4B may display the first event above the second event, display it larger than the second event, or display it in a different color than the second event.

[0085] If the second user intends to participate in the event indicated by the announcement, they can make an input indicating their intention to participate via the input unit 5B (S24). The system may also be configured so that the second user can make an input for evaluating the event indicated by the announcement via the input unit 5B.

[0086] Participation information indicating participation and / or evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the event, entered by a second user, may be transmitted from terminal device 1B to event management unit 15. The event management unit 15 may create a list of participants in the event based on the participation information received from each user's terminal device 1 (S26).

[0087] The evaluation information is entered into the evaluation management unit 17, which may manage the event announced in the event proposal system 100 in association with the evaluation information for that event (S27). The evaluation information managed by the evaluation management unit 17 may be used for retraining the model 13. The evaluation information may also include the text information or reaction information mentioned above.

[0088] If the notification information is sent to terminal device 1 owned by a user other than the first user belonging to the first set, the processing in S23 and S25 described above will be performed by said terminal device 1. In addition, the input indicating participation in the event indicated by the notification information in S24 described above, and the input for evaluation of said event will be received by said terminal device 1.

[0089] (Manual provision process) The system may be configured so that when a first user holds an event, they can request the event suggestion device 10 to provide a manual for running the event. In this case, the first user inputs a request for a manual for the planned event to the terminal device 1A via the input unit 5A. This request may include information such as the content, date, and location of the planned event. Upon receiving this request, the request generation unit 3A generates a manual request instructing model 13 to generate a manual and transmits it to the main control unit 11 of the event suggestion device 10 (S29).

[0090] The manual provision unit 18 inputs the received manual request into model 13, and model 13 generates a manual corresponding to the manual request (S30). The manual request may include details of the event to be held. Model 13 may generate a general manual for operating the event, depending on the type or scale of the event indicated by the manual request. An LLM may be used as the model for generating the manual.

[0091] The manual provision unit 18 outputs the manual generated by model 13 to terminal device 1A (S31). This allows the manual provision unit 18 to provide the first user with a manual corresponding to the event to be held. Therefore, the effort required of the first user to draft the manual themselves can be reduced.

[0092] If the first user has multiple events scheduled, they can input instructions to the terminal device 1A via the input unit 5A requesting a manual for each event. This allows the manual provision unit 18 to output a manual generated for each event scheduled by the first user to the terminal device 1A.

[0093] (Matching process) Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the matching process in the event suggestion device 10. The matching process is a process that predicts the compatibility between users who use the event suggestion system 100. The matching unit 19 may simply present a list of users who are expected to be compatible with the user of interest as a result of the matching process, or it may also present the degree of compatibility with other users.

[0094] The matching process can be performed in response to requests from users of the event proposal system 100, and there are no particular limitations on the timing of the matching process. Furthermore, the event proposal system 100 may perform matching between users of the event proposal system 100 periodically, or at the direction of the event proposal system 100 administrator. With this configuration, users can always know which users are compatible with them without having to instruct the matching process.

[0095] The following example illustrates a matching process, using the case where the first user who announced the event instructs the matching process to run in order to find users who are compatible with them.

[0096] As shown in Figure 4, first, the first user inputs a matching instruction to the terminal device 1A via the input unit 5A (S41). The matching instruction may include at least one of the following: attribute information of the first user, preference information of the first user, group information of the first user, attribute information of the matching partner, preference information of the matching partner, group information of the matching partner, and category of the matching partner.

[0097] The attribute information may include, for example, department, company, work history, year of joining the company, work location, place of residence, place of origin, hobbies / interests, age, gender, or a combination thereof. The attribute information of the matching partner refers to the attributes of an unspecified person that the first user wishes to be matched with.

[0098] The aforementioned preference information may consist of hobbies, preferences, or a combination thereof, and tag information indicating hobbies or preferences may also be used. The preference information of a matching partner refers to the preference information of an unspecified person whom the first user wishes to be a matching partner.

[0099] The aforementioned set information may, for example, be the size or industry of the company to which the first user belongs. Alternatively, the aforementioned set information may be attribute information of the first set. The set information of matching partners refers to information about the set to which the unspecified individuals that the first user wishes to be matching partners belong.

[0100] If attribute information, aggregate information, or preference information of the first user is pre-associated with the first user's ID (identifier), the matching unit 19 may be made able to obtain the information associated with the ID by inputting the ID into the terminal device 1A.

[0101] The category of a potential match is a classification based on the purpose for which you are looking for a match. Examples of potential match categories include, but are not limited to, friends, romantic partners, spouses, business partners, or business associates.

[0102] Furthermore, the matching instructions may include at least one of the following: information about events the first user has previously participated in, and information about events the matching partner has previously participated in. Information about events the matching partner has previously participated in means information about events that the unspecified person the first user wishes to be a matching partner has previously participated in.

[0103] Upon receiving the matching instruction, the request generation unit 3A generates a matching request requesting the matching unit 19 to perform the matching process (S42) and sends it to the matching unit 19 (S43). The matching request may include the ID of the first user in addition to the information entered by the first user as the matching instruction.

[0104] Upon receiving a matching request, the matching unit 19 performs a matching process for the first user (S44). For example, the matching unit 19 may identify users who have indicated their intention to participate in an event hosted by the first user (selected event), or users who have given a high rating to the selected event, and associate them with the first user as matching partners. Intention to participate in the selected event and the rating to the selected event may be one of the indicators for selecting a matching partner for the first user. The matching unit 19 may also consider various information included in the matching instruction and / or information linked to the first user's ID when selecting a matching partner for the first user.

[0105] When the matching unit 19 has finished the matching process, it transmits information to the terminal device 1A that identifies at least one matching partner for the first user as the matching result (S45). When the terminal device 1A receives the matching result, it displays the matching result on the display unit 6A via the output control unit 4A (S46). If the first user is not satisfied with the matching result, they may input a matching instruction again.

[0106] Furthermore, the matching unit 19 may transmit information identifying the first user as a matching result to the terminal device 1 owned by the user identified as the first user's matching partner. Upon receiving the matching result, each terminal device 1 may display the matching result on the display unit via the output control unit.

[0107] The matching process makes it possible to notify both users who may be a good match. This facilitates interaction between users belonging to the first set, or between users belonging to both the first and second sets.

[0108] Furthermore, the matching unit 19 can identify sets that are likely to be compatible with the first set to which the first user belongs by performing a matching process targeting the first user. In this case, the matching process may be a process that predicts the compatibility between sets when users using the event proposal system 100 belong to different sets. An example of a matching process that predicts the compatibility between sets is business matching, which predicts the compatibility between companies.

[0109] Furthermore, when the matching unit 19 performs matching processing, the model 13 may generate candidate event information specific to both users who may have good compatibility.

[0110] In this case, Model 13 may generate candidate event information based on information about the first user, as well as information about the user who is the first user's matching partner. As information about the first user, for example, the basic information of the first user described above, or the basic information and additional information may be used. As information about the user who is the first user's matching partner, for example, the basic information of that user, or the basic information and additional information may be used. The basic information and additional information of that user may correspond to the basic information and additional information of the first user, respectively. In addition, Model 13 may generate candidate event information using external information as described above. The output unit 14 may then output the candidate event information generated by Model 13 to the terminal device 1A owned by the first user and to the terminal device 1 owned by the user who is the first user's matching partner.

[0111] (How to retrain Model 13) The learning control unit 20 may retrain the model 13 based on evaluations from a first user of the candidate event information generated by the model 13. Alternatively, the learning control unit 20 may retrain the model 13 based on evaluations of events that were actually held among the events indicated by the candidate event information. The evaluation information indicating the evaluation of the event may be first evaluation information indicating the evaluation by the event organizer, or second evaluation information indicating the evaluation by the event participants. This can improve the performance of the model 13.

[0112] The evaluation information may include the text information or reaction information described above. The learning control unit 20 may also retrain the model 13 based on the second user's evaluation of the event notified to the second user (an event before it is actually held). The evaluation management unit 17 may manage not only the evaluation information showing the second user's evaluation, but also the evaluation information showing the first user's evaluation of the candidate event information, the first evaluation information, and the second evaluation information, in association with the evaluated event.

[0113] The learning control unit 20 may retrain the model 13 by training the model 13 using at least one of the evaluation information described above as training data (input information). Alternatively, the learning control unit 20 may retrain the model 13 each time it acquires at least one of the evaluation information described above, or it may retrain the model 13 at regular intervals.

[0114] Furthermore, the main control unit 11 may determine which of the model 13 before the learning control unit 20 retrained, or the model 13 after the learning control unit 20 retrained, will be used to output candidate event information. The main control unit 11 may determine which model 13 to use by performing a process such as the following. In the description of this process, the model 13 before the learning control unit 20 retrained will be referred to as the first model, and the model 13 after the learning control unit 20 retrained will be referred to as the second model. Also, the candidate event information output by the first model will be referred to as the third candidate information, and the candidate event information output by the second model will be referred to as the fourth candidate information.

[0115] For example, after generating the second model, the main control unit 11 receives an event proposal request from the terminal device 1A. Based on the basic information included in the event proposal request, it outputs the third candidate information from the first model and the fourth candidate information from the second model. The output unit 14 outputs both the third candidate information and the fourth candidate information to the terminal device 1A. The first user inputs their evaluation of the third candidate information and their evaluation of the fourth candidate information via the input unit 5A. By comparing these two evaluations obtained from the terminal device 1A, the main control unit 11 may determine the model 13 that outputs the event candidate information with the higher evaluation as the model 13 to be actually used.

[0116] Furthermore, the first user may select one candidate from the third candidate information and one candidate from the fourth candidate information. The event indicated by the candidate information selected from the third candidate information will be referred to as the third event, and the event indicated by the candidate information selected from the fourth candidate information will be referred to as the fourth event. In addition, the announcement information that notifies the third event will be referred to as the third announcement information, and the announcement information that notifies the fourth event will be referred to as the fourth announcement information.

[0117] In this case, the notification control unit 16 transmits the third notification information and the fourth notification information to the terminal device 1B owned by the second user. The second user inputs their evaluation of the third event and their evaluation of the fourth event via the input unit 5B. The main control unit 11 may compare these two evaluations obtained from the terminal device 1B and determine the model 13 that outputs candidate event information with a higher evaluation as the model 13 to be actually used.

[0118] The notification control unit 16 may transmit the third notification information and the fourth notification information to terminal devices 1 owned by users other than the first user belonging to the first set. In this case, the main control unit 11 may determine the model 13 to be actually used based on the evaluation by the user.

[0119] [Embodiment 2] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the various components of a matching system 200 according to one embodiment of this disclosure as a plurality of functional blocks. In the configurations of terminal devices 40A and 40B in Figure 5, blocks that have the same name as the functional blocks in terminal device 1A are assumed to have the same function as the functional blocks in terminal device 1A, and their explanation is omitted. The matching unit 19 of the event suggestion device 10 described above may be implemented as a matching unit 32 provided by a matching device 30 included in a matching system 200 independent of the event suggestion system 100. In this case, the matching process is a process that predicts the compatibility between users who use the matching system 200.

[0120] The matching results from the matching unit 32 are output to terminal devices 1 owned by each of the multiple users belonging to the first set, or to terminal devices 1 owned by each of the multiple users belonging to both the first and second sets. This makes it possible to notify both users who may be compatible with each other. Consequently, it becomes possible to promote interaction between users belonging to the first set, or between users belonging to the first and second sets. In particular, in the latter case, it becomes possible to promote interaction between different sets (for example, interaction between companies).

[0121] The matching process performed by the matching unit 32 may also be a process that predicts the compatibility between sets when the users belong to different sets. In this case as well, it becomes possible to facilitate interaction between the first set to which the first user belongs and sets that may be compatible with the first set.

[0122] [Examples of implementation using software] The function of the event suggestion device 10 (hereinafter referred to as the "first device") can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the first device, and moreover, by a program that causes a computer to function as each control block of the first device (particularly each part included in the main control unit 11). This program may be called an event suggestion program.

[0123] In this case, the first device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., memory) as hardware for executing the program. By executing the program using this control device and storage device, the functions described in each of the embodiments are realized.

[0124] The above program may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media, not temporary ones. These recording media may or may not be provided by the first device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the first device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0125] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of each of the above control blocks can also be implemented by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which logic circuits functioning as each of the above control blocks are formed is also included in the scope of this disclosure. In addition, it is also possible to implement the functions of each of the above control blocks by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0126] Furthermore, each process described in the above embodiments may be performed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may operate on the control device described above, or it may operate on other devices (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0127] Furthermore, the function of the matching device 30 (hereinafter referred to as the "second device") can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the second device, and by a program that causes a computer to function as each control block of the second device (particularly each part included in the main control unit 31). The above description of the first device can also be applied to the second device.

[0128] Furthermore, the functions of terminal devices 1A, 1B, 40A, and 40B (hereinafter referred to as "terminal devices") can be realized by programs that cause the terminal devices to function as computers, and by programs that cause the control blocks of the terminal devices (particularly the parts included in the main control units 2A, 2B, 42A, and 42B) to function as computers. The above-described explanation of the first device can also be applied to the terminal devices.

[0129] Furthermore, the event proposal system 100 may include a communication device that enables communication between the first device and the terminal device. Similarly, the matching system 200 may include a communication device that enables communication between the second device and the terminal device. At least one of the first device, the second device, and the terminal device may include a communication device. The function of the communication device can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the communication device, and by a program that causes a computer to function as each control block of the communication device. The above description of the first device can also be applied to the communication device.

[0130] 〔summary〕 An event proposal device according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure comprises a generation unit that generates at least one candidate event information based on a request for event proposal to be held for a set or other set, received from a first user belonging to a set composed of multiple users, and an output unit that outputs the candidate event information generated by the generation unit.

[0131] In the event suggestion device according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure, in Embodiment 1, the generation unit generates candidate event information using at least one of the following: attribute information of the first user, preference information of the first user, information about the set to which the first user belongs, and information about an event that the first user wishes to host.

[0132] In the event suggestion device according to aspect 3 of the present disclosure, in aspect 1 or 2, the generation unit generates candidate event information using at least one of the following: information about events previously held for the set or other set, information about evaluations of previously held events, and information about events in which the first user participated.

[0133] In any of embodiments 1 to 3, the event proposal device according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure further generates at least one candidate event information based on the evaluation of the generated candidate event information by the first user.

[0134] The event proposal device according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure, in any embodiment from 1 to 4, comprises a learning control unit that retrains the generation unit based on evaluations from the first user of the candidate event information generated by the generation unit, or evaluations from the organizers or participants of events that were actually held among the events indicated by the candidate event information.

[0135] The event suggestion device according to aspect 6 of the present disclosure includes, in any of aspects 1 to 5, a notification control unit that notifies a second user belonging to the set or other set of information regarding a selected event selected by the first user from among the candidate event information of at least one event generated by the generation unit.

[0136] The event proposal device according to Embodiment 7 of this disclosure, in Embodiment 6, includes an evaluation management unit that receives from the second user at least one of the following: the user's intention to participate in the selected event and an evaluation of the selected event.

[0137] The event proposal device according to aspect 8 of the present disclosure includes a matching unit that identifies the second user who has indicated an intention to participate in the selected event, or the second user who has given a high evaluation of the selected event, and associates it with the first user, as described in aspect 7.

[0138] The event proposal device according to aspect 9 of this disclosure includes a manual providing unit that provides a manual for holding the event, in any of aspects 1 to 8.

[0139] A control method for an event proposal device according to aspect 10 of the present disclosure includes the steps of generating at least one candidate event information based on a request for event proposal to be held for a group or other group, received from a first user belonging to a group composed of multiple users, and outputting the generated candidate event information.

[0140] The event proposal program according to aspect 11 of this disclosure is an event proposal program for causing a computer to function as an event proposal device according to any one of aspects 1 to 9, and is an event proposal program for causing a computer to function as the generation unit and the output unit.

[0141] The event proposal system according to aspect 12 of this disclosure is an event proposal system comprising an event proposal device described in any of aspects 1 to 9 and a terminal device that can communicate with the event proposal device.

[0142] [Additional Notes] The inventions described in this disclosure have been explained above based on the drawings and embodiments. However, the inventions described in this disclosure are not limited to the embodiments described above. That is, the inventions described in this disclosure can be modified in various ways within the scope shown in this disclosure, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the inventions described in this disclosure. In other words, it should be noted that it is easy for those skilled in the art to make various modifications or alterations based on this disclosure. Furthermore, it should be noted that these modifications or alterations are included in the scope of this disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 1A, 1B Terminal Devices 10 Event Proposal Device 12 Acquisition Department 13. Model (Generator, Pre-trained Model) 14 Output section 16 Notification Control Unit 17. Evaluation Management Department 18 Manual Provision Department 19 Matching Department 20 Learning Control Unit 100 Event Proposal System

Claims

1. A generation unit generates at least one candidate event information based on a request for event proposals to be held for the set or other sets, received from a first user belonging to a set composed of multiple users, An event suggestion device comprising: an output unit that outputs candidate event information generated by the generation unit.

2. The event suggestion device according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates candidate event information using at least one of the attribute information of the first user, the preference information of the first user, information about the set to which the first user belongs, and information about an event that the first user wishes to host.

3. The event suggestion device according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates candidate event information using at least one of the following: information about events previously held for the set or other sets, information about evaluations of previously held events, and information about events in which the first user participated.

4. The event suggestion device according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates at least one more candidate event information based on the evaluation of the generated candidate event information by the first user.

5. The aforementioned generation unit is a trained model, The event proposal device according to claim 1, further comprising a learning control unit that retrains the generation unit based on evaluations from the first user of the candidate event information generated by the generation unit, or evaluations from the organizers or participants of events that were actually held among the events indicated by the candidate event information.

6. The event suggestion device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification control unit that notifies a second user belonging to the set or any other set of information regarding a selected event selected by the first user from among the candidate event information of at least one event generated by the generation unit.

7. The event proposal device according to claim 6, further comprising an evaluation management unit that receives from the second user at least one of the following: the user's intention to participate in the selected event and an evaluation of the selected event.

8. The event proposal device according to claim 7, further comprising a matching unit that identifies the second user who has indicated an intention to participate in the selection event, or the second user who has given a high evaluation of the selection event, and associates them with the first user.

9. The event proposal device according to claim 1, further comprising a manual providing unit that provides a manual for holding the aforementioned event.

10. A control method for an event suggestion device, A step of generating at least one candidate event information based on a request for event proposals to be held for the set or other sets, received from a first user belonging to a set composed of multiple users, A control method comprising the step of outputting candidate information for the generated event.

11. An event proposal program for causing a computer to function as an event proposal device according to claim 1, wherein the computer functions as the generation unit and the output unit.

12. The event proposal device according to claim 1, An event proposal system comprising a terminal device that can communicate with the aforementioned event proposal device.

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