Programs, information processing methods, servers

Abstract

To provide a new way of delivering product information. [Solution] A program executed by a server that communicates with a user's terminal includes: creating a question about the first information based on the first information about the user's interests entered into the terminal by the server's control unit; transmitting the question to the terminal by the control unit; creating a first content about the first information based on the user's answer to the question transmitted from the terminal by the control unit; creating a second content including product information of products related to the first information by the control unit; and transmitting the first content and the second content to the terminal by the control unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to programs, information processing methods, servers, etc.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing apparatus that provides a product recommendation page in response to an input of a query to a product search page of a business operator who conducts electronic transactions.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, there is room for improvement in the method of providing product information.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a new method of providing product information.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a program executed by a server that communicates with a user's terminal includes creating, by a control unit of the server, a question regarding the first information based on the first information regarding the user's interest input to the terminal; transmitting, by the control unit, the question to the terminal; creating, by the control unit, first content regarding the first information based on the user's answer to the question transmitted from the terminal; creating, by the control unit, second content including product information of a product related to the first information; and transmitting, by the control unit, the first content and the second content to the terminal.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a server information processing method for communicating with a user's terminal includes: creating a question concerning first information based on first information concerning the user's interests input into the terminal by the server's control unit; transmitting the question to the terminal by the control unit; creating first content concerning the first information based on the user's answer to the question transmitted from the terminal by the control unit; creating second content including product information of products related to the first information by the control unit; and transmitting the first content and the second content to the terminal by the control unit.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a server that communicates with a user's terminal includes a control unit that, based on first information relating to the user's interests entered into the terminal, creates a question relating to the first information, transmits the question to the terminal, creates first content relating to the first information, creates second content including product information of products related to the first information, and transmits the first content and the second content to the terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a new method for providing product information can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of a function realized by the control unit of the server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit of the server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of account registration data related to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A diagram showing an example of a function realized by the control unit of the terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram showing an example of information stored in the memory unit of the terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] A diagram showing an example of a question displayed on the display unit of a terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] A diagram showing an example of content displayed on the display unit of the terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] A flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by each device according to the first embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] <Compliance with legal matters> Please note that the disclosures described herein are subject to compliance with the laws of the implementing country, including the confidentiality of communications, which are necessary for the implementation of these disclosures.

[0012] <Embodiment> In this specification, there are instances where the phrase "for example" is used for clarity, but please note that this does not limit the content of the descriptions in those instances to the entire set of embodiments described below.

[0013] Embodiments for implementing the program etc. related to this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] The production of the terminal of the claimed invention (the terminal of the claimed invention) may include the concept that, for example, a state is created in which the functions of the claimed invention become achievable in the terminal when the program described herein (e.g., an application program) is received (or received and stored in the terminal) on a terminal owned (possessed) by a user, thereby creating a state in which the functions of the claimed invention become achievable (a state is created in which the claimed invention becomes executable).

[0015] Also, the production of the system according to the claims of the present application (the system of the invention of the present application) may include the concept that, for example, by receiving a program (such as an application program) described in this specification transmitted from a server included in the system of the present application by a terminal included in the system of the present application (or by storing the received program in the terminal), a state in which the functions of the invention of the system according to the claims of the present application can be realized (a state in which the invention according to the claims of the present application can be executed) is created.

[0016] Also, in this specification, a system can be configured to have, for example, a plurality of devices. The plurality of devices may be a combination of the same type of devices, a combination of different types of devices, or a combination of the same type of devices and different types of devices. Note that a system can also be considered as, for example, a thing in which a plurality of devices cooperate to perform some processing.

[0017] Also, a system related to a client (client device) and a server can be considered as, for example, at least any one of the following. (1) Terminal & Server (2) Server (3) Terminal

[0018] (1) is, for example, a system including at least one terminal and at least one server. This example is a client-server system.

[0019] The server is configured by, for example, the following devices and may be a single device or a combination of a plurality of devices.

[0020] Specifically, a server may be configured with, for example, at least one processor (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, APU: Accelerated Processing Unit, DSP: Digital Signal Processor (e.g., ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array)), a computer device (processor + memory), a control device, an arithmetic unit, a processing unit, etc., and may be configured with multiple identical units of any one device (e.g., CPU + CPU, homogeneous multicore processor, etc.), or with multiple heterogeneous units of any one device (e.g., CPU + DSP, heterogeneous multicore processor, etc.), or with a combination of multiple devices (e.g., processor + computer device, processor + arithmetic unit, multiple devices made heterogeneous, etc.). Note that the processor may be a virtual processor.

[0021] Furthermore, when a server performs some processing, if it is configured as a single device, the processing described in the embodiment will be performed by that single device. If it is configured as having multiple devices, some processing may be performed by one device and other processing may be performed by the other devices. For example, if it is configured as having a processor and an arithmetic unit, the first processing may be performed by the processor and the second processing may be performed by the arithmetic unit. Furthermore, if the system consists of multiple devices, each device may be arranged in a location that is physically separated from the others.

[0022] Furthermore, server functionality may be provided in the form of PaaS, IaaS, or SaaS in cloud computing, for example.

[0023] Furthermore, the system's control unit can be at least one of either the terminal's control unit or the server's control unit. In other words, for example, the system's control unit can be any of the following: (1A) only the terminal's control unit, (1B) only the server's control unit, or (1C) both the terminal's control unit and the server's control unit.

[0024] Furthermore, the control and processing performed by the system's control unit (hereinafter collectively referred to as "control, etc.") may be (1A) performed solely by the terminal's control unit, (1B) performed solely by the server's control unit, or (1C) performed by both the terminal's control unit and the server's control unit. Furthermore, in (1C), for example, some of the controls that the system would normally perform may be performed by the terminal's control unit, while the remaining controls may be performed by the server's control unit. In this case, the allocation of controls may be equal, or they may be allocated in different proportions.

[0025] Furthermore, when referring to the server's communication unit, if the server is composed of a single device, it may refer to the communication unit itself provided by that single device. Also, if the server is composed of multiple devices, the server's communication unit may include the communication units provided by each of those devices. For example, if a server comprises a first device and a second device, with the first device having a first communication unit and the second device having a second communication unit, the communication unit of the server may be considered a concept that includes both the first and second communication units.

[0026] (2) can be, for example, a system consisting of multiple servers (hereinafter referred to as the "server system"). In this case, the configuration described above can be applied to each server in the same way.

[0027] The control and other functions performed by the server system may be performed by (2A) only one server, (2B) only the other servers, or (2C) one server and the other servers. Furthermore, in (2C), for example, one server may perform some of the control functions that the server system would normally perform, while other servers perform the remaining functions. In this case, the allocation of the controls may be equal, or they may be allocated in different proportions.

[0028] (3) can be, for example, a system composed of multiple terminals. This system can be, for example, as follows: A system that assigns server functions to terminals (a distributed system). This can be achieved, for example, using blockchain technology. A system in which terminals communicate wirelessly with each other. This can be achieved, for example, by using short-range wireless communication technologies such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) to communicate in a P2P (peer-to-peer) manner.

[0029] Furthermore, the above applies not only to the control unit but also to each functional unit that can be a component of the system, such as the input / output unit, communication unit, memory unit, and clock unit.

[0030] In the following embodiments, for example, a system including a terminal and a server (e.g., a client-server system) is illustrated. Furthermore, it is also possible to apply the server system described in (2) above as the server.

[0031] Furthermore, instead of a system that includes terminals and servers, it is also possible to apply a system that does not include a server, such as the system described in (3) above. In this case, the embodiment can be configured based on the aforementioned blockchain technology. Specifically, for example, data stored and managed on the server described in the following embodiment is stored on the blockchain. Then, when a terminal generates a transaction to the blockchain and the transaction is approved on the blockchain, the data stored on the blockchain is updated.

[0032] Furthermore, even when the term "terminal" is used, it is not limited to the meaning of a terminal as a client device in a client-server system. In other words, the term "terminal" can sometimes include the concept of a device that is not part of a client-server relationship.

[0033] Furthermore, the expression "by communication I / F" is used as appropriate in this specification. This may, for example, indicate that the device transmits and receives various information and data via a communication I / F (via a communication unit) based on the control of a control unit (such as a processor).

[0034] Furthermore, in this specification, terms such as "related to" or "concerning" may refer to "B concerning A" or "B related to A," for example, "B" which has some kind of relationship with "A." Specific examples will be given later.

[0035] Furthermore, in this specification, when a device processes two or more things, such as "transmitting A and B" or "receiving A and B," it may include both cases where "A" and "B" are performed at the same time (hereinafter referred to as "simultaneous") and cases where "A" and "B" are performed at different times (hereinafter referred to as "non-simultaneous"). For example, when referring to the transmission of first and second information, both concepts are acceptable: one where the first and second information are transmitted at the same time, and another where the first and second information are transmitted at different times. Furthermore, taking into consideration lag (time lag), "simultaneous" may include "almost simultaneous."

[0036] Furthermore, even if "A" and "B" are performed at different times, this only requires that the processing targets "A" and "B," and their purposes do not necessarily have to be the same. For example, when transmitting the first piece of information and the second piece of information as described above, it is sufficient to simply transmit the first piece of information and the second piece of information, and this may include cases where the first piece of information and the second piece of information are transmitted for different purposes, as well as cases where they are transmitted for the same purpose.

[0037] In the following embodiment, a messaging service may be used as the service for users to chat (hereinafter referred to as the "chat service"). Furthermore, applications that provide chat services are referred to as "chat applications," and applications that provide messaging services are referred to as "messaging applications." A chat application, for example, can allow users to chat in a chat room.

[0038] For example, in a chat room in which the user and the BOT participate, displayed on the user's terminal 20, the user can input information about what they are interested in as a user message (sending a message from terminal 20 to server 10). Based on the message, the BOT (control unit 11 of server 10) can create a question, which is then displayed in the chat room (sent from server 10 to terminal 20). The user can then answer the question in the chat room (sending the answer from terminal 20 to server 10). Based on the answer, the BOT (control unit 11 of server 10) can create content, which is then displayed in the chat room (sent from server 10 to terminal 20, and provided from the BOT to the user).

[0039] Furthermore, messaging services (MS) (including instant messaging services: IMS) can be considered a form of social networking services (SNS). Therefore, a distinction may or may not be made between messaging services and social networking services. In other words, messaging services may be included within the definition of social networking services.

[0040] Furthermore, in the following embodiment, as a messaging service, for example, an Instant Messaging Service (IMS) may be used to send and receive simple messages between multiple devices (e.g., terminals) via a server. Content may include, for example, text content in text format, image content in image format (including at least one of still images or moving images), and sound content in sound format (including voice). In addition, other elements such as buttons and icons for user interaction, as well as link content such as URIs (including URLs), may also be included.

[0041] The text may include, for example, at least one of the following: national characters represented by character codes, extended characters, machine-dependent characters, numbers, symbols, figures, and codes. Note that the text does not have to include at least one of the above characters, extended characters, machine-dependent characters, numbers, symbols, figures, and codes, but may include other text.

[0042] An image can contain at least one of several types of image information, such as icons, buttons, stamps, emojis, or banner images.

[0043] Contrary to the above definition, it is also acceptable to define "message" as a higher-level concept than "content," or to define "content" and "message" as synonymous, or not to define them in this way.

[0044] <Embodiment> For example, when a user searches on their device for something they are interested in (such as sports or arts) and decides to start an activity, they may be presented with a jumble of product information related to that activity, regardless of their individual circumstances. This can be overwhelming for the user.

[0045] This embodiment is one in which a server creates questions for the user based on information about the user's interests entered into the user's terminal, obtains the user's answers to those questions, creates content including product information based on those answers, and provides the created content to the terminal, thereby presenting appropriate content that matches the user's interests and individual circumstances, and promoting subsequent activities and the purchase of products necessary for those activities.

[0046] Furthermore, in the following, a question-answering system (which may also be called a "question-answering model") may be used as an example of a method for implementing the processing. The question-answering system may be a closed-book question-answering system implemented by a language model such as HyperCLOVA, GPT-4, or Llama. Alternatively, the question-answering model may be an open-book question-answering system implemented by a combination of an external knowledge retrieval model such as DPR (Dense Passage Retriever) or BPR (Binary Passage Retriever) and a language model. The question-answering system may also be capable of generating output sentences (response sentences) in conjunction with an arbitrary external database.

[0047] <First Example> The first embodiment is an embodiment in which a server generates a question based on keywords related to the user's interests (an example of first information) entered by the user into a terminal, generates content based on the user's answer to the question, and sends the generated content to the user's terminal. The contents described in the first embodiment are equally applicable to any of the other embodiments and any of the other modifications.

[0048] Furthermore, in the following explanation, the user of terminal 20A communicating with server 10 may be referred to as "User AA," the user of terminal 20B as "User BB," the user of terminal 20C as "User CC," and so on.

[0049] <System Configuration> Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration of the communication system 1 in this embodiment. In the communication system 1, for example, a server 10 and one or more terminals 20 (terminal 20A, terminal 20B, terminal 20C, ...) are connected via a network 30.

[0050] Server 10 has the function of providing content, for example, to terminals 20 owned by users, via the network 30. The number of servers 10 and terminals 20 connected to the network 30 is not particularly limited.

[0051] Terminal 20 (Terminal 20A, Terminal 20B, Terminal 20C, ...) can be any information processing terminal capable of realizing the functions described in each embodiment. Terminal 20 includes, for example, computers (e.g., desktops, laptops, tablets, etc.), smartphones, mobile phones (feature phones), media computer platforms (e.g., cable, satellite set-top boxes, digital video recorders), handheld computer devices (e.g., PDAs (personal digital assistants), email clients, etc.), wearable devices (glasses-type devices, watch-type devices, etc.), VR (Virtual Reality) terminals, smart speakers (voice recognition devices), or other types of computers or communication platforms. Terminal 20 may also be referred to as an information processing terminal.

[0052] The configurations of terminals 20A, 20B, and 20C can, for example, be identical. Furthermore, if necessary, the terminal used by user X may be referred to as terminal 20X, and user information in a predetermined service associated with user X or terminal 20X may be referred to as user information X, or not. User information refers to information about a user associated with an account used by that user in a given service. User information includes, for example, information associated with the user, such as the user's name, user icon image, user's age, user's gender, user's address, user's hobbies and preferences, and user identifier, which are entered by the user or assigned by the given service. It may consist of any one of these items, a combination thereof, or no combination thereof.

[0053] Network 30 plays the role of connecting each device that constitutes communication system 1. In other words, network 30 refers to a communication network that provides connection paths so that the various devices described above can send and receive data after they have been connected.

[0054] One or more parts of network 30 may or may not be wired or wireless networks. Network 30 may include, for example, an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), part of the internet, part of a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a mobile phone network, an integrated service digital network (ISDN), wireless LAN, LTE (long term evolution), CDMA (code division multiple access), Bluetooth (registered trademark), satellite communications, or two or more combinations thereof. Network 30 may include one or more networks 30.

[0055] Server 10 (not limited to, but an example of a server, information processing device, or information management device) has the function of providing a predetermined service (in this embodiment, a content provision service) to terminals 20, etc. Server 10 may be any information processing device that can realize the functions described in each embodiment. Server 10 includes, for example, a server device, a computer (e.g., desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), a media computer platform (e.g., cable, satellite set-top box, digital video recorder), a handheld computer device (e.g., PDA, email client, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms. Server 10 may also be referred to as an information processing device. If it is not necessary to distinguish between Server 10 and Terminal 20, Server 10 and Terminal 20 may or may not be referred to as information processing devices.

[0056] [Hardware configuration of each device] The hardware configuration of each device included in communication system 1 will be described below.

[0057] (1) Terminal hardware configuration Figure 1 shows an example of the hardware configuration of terminal 20. Terminal 20 includes, for example, a control unit 21 (CPU: central processing unit), a storage unit 28, a communication interface 22, an input / output unit 23, a clock unit 29A, and a position calculation information detection unit 29B. Each hardware component of terminal 20 is interconnected via, for example, bus B. It is not necessary for terminal 20's hardware configuration to include all components. For example, terminal 20 may have a configuration in which individual components or multiple components are removed, or it may not.

[0058] The communication interface 22 transmits and receives various types of data via the network 30. Communication may be performed via wired or wireless connections, and any communication protocol may be used as long as communication between the interfaces is possible. The communication interface 22 has the function of communicating with various devices, such as the server 10, via the network 30. The communication interface 22 transmits various types of data to the server 10 and other devices according to instructions from the control unit 21. The communication interface 22 also receives various types of data transmitted from the server 10 and other devices and transmits them to the control unit 21. The communication interface 22 may also be simply referred to as the communication unit. Furthermore, if the communication interface 22 is composed of a physically structured circuit, it may be referred to as the communication circuit.

[0059] The input / output unit 23 includes devices for inputting various operations to the terminal 20, and devices for outputting processing results processed by the terminal 20. The input / output unit 23 may have an integrated input unit and an output unit, or it may have separate input and output units, or it may not have to be integrated.

[0060] The input unit is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of receiving user input and transmitting the information related to the input to the control unit 21. The input unit includes, for example, hardware keys such as touch panels, touch displays, and keyboards, pointing devices such as mice, cameras (operation input via video), and microphones (operation input via voice).

[0061] The output unit is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of outputting the processing results processed by the control unit 21. The output unit includes, for example, a touch panel, a touch display, a speaker (for audio output), a lens (for example, 3D output or hologram output), a printer, and the like.

[0062] This is just one example, but the input / output unit 23 may include, for instance, a display unit 24, an audio input unit 25, an audio output unit 26, and an imaging unit 27.

[0063] The display unit 24 is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of displaying data according to the display data written to the frame buffer. The display unit 24 includes, for example, touch panels, touch displays, monitors (e.g., liquid crystal displays and OLEDs (organic electroluminescence displays)), head-mounted displays (HDMs), projection mapping, holograms, and devices capable of displaying images, text information, etc., in air (which may or may not be a vacuum). These display units 24 may or may not be capable of displaying display data in 3D.

[0064] The sound input unit 25 is used for inputting sound data (including voice data; the same applies hereinafter). The sound input unit 25 includes a microphone, etc. The sound output unit 26 is used for outputting sound data. The sound output unit 26 includes a speaker and the like. The imaging unit 27 is used to acquire image data (including still image data and moving image data; the same applies hereinafter). The imaging unit 27 includes a camera, etc.

[0065] If the input / output unit 23 is a touch panel, the input / output unit 23 and the display unit 24 may be arranged facing each other and have substantially the same size and shape.

[0066] The clock unit 29A is the built-in clock of the terminal 20 and outputs time information (timing information). The clock unit 29A is configured to include, for example, a clock using a crystal oscillator. The clock unit 29A can also be described as, for example, a timing unit or a time information detection unit.

[0067] The clock unit 29A may or may not have a clock that conforms to the NITZ (Network Identity and Time Zone) standard, etc.

[0068] The position calculation information detection unit 29B is a functional unit that detects (measures) information necessary for the control unit 21 to calculate (measure) the position of its own terminal 20 (hereinafter referred to as "position calculation information"). The position calculation information detection unit 29B can also be described as, for example, a position calculation sensor unit.

[0069] The position calculation information detection unit 29B includes, for example, a satellite positioning sensor (satellite positioning unit) which is a sensor or unit for calculating the position of the terminal 20 using a satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System), an inertial measurement sensor (inertial measurement unit (IMU)) which is a sensor or unit for calculating the position of the terminal 20 using an inertial navigation system, and a UWB positioning sensor (UWB positioning unit) which is a sensor or unit for calculating the position of the terminal 20 using UWB (Ultra Wide Band).

[0070] The satellite positioning unit includes, for example, an RF receiving circuit that converts RF (Radio Frequency) signals, including positioning satellite signals transmitted from positioning satellites received by an antenna (not shown), into digital signals, and a baseband processing circuit that performs correlation calculations on the digital signals output from the RF receiving circuit to capture positioning satellite signals, and outputs information such as satellite orbit data and time data extracted from the positioning satellite signals as position calculation information.

[0071] The inertial measurement unit has inertial sensors, which are sensors that detect information necessary to calculate the position of terminal 20 by inertial navigation calculations. The inertial sensors include, for example, a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope, and output the acceleration detected by the accelerometer and the angular velocity detected by the gyroscope as position calculation information.

[0072] The UWB positioning unit includes, for example, an ultra-wideband RF (Radio Frequency) receiving circuit that converts an ultra-wideband RF signal, including a positioning ultra-wideband pulse signal transmitted from a positioning beacon received by an antenna (not shown), into a digital signal, and a relative position calculation processing circuit that calculates the relative position between the terminal 20 and the positioning beacon based on the digital signal output from the ultra-wideband RF receiving circuit. For example, the UWB positioning unit may or may not make terminal 20 function as a positioning beacon by transmitting an ultra-wideband RF signal including a positioning ultra-wideband pulse signal from an antenna (not shown).

[0073] The control unit 21 calculates the position of its own terminal 20 at regular or specific intervals, for example, based on the position calculation information detected by the position calculation information detection unit 29B. The position of the terminal is referred to as the "terminal position," and the calculated terminal position is referred to as the "calculated terminal position." The control unit 21 may or may not store the calculated terminal position in the storage unit 28 as calculated terminal position history data, associated with the date and time the calculated terminal position was calculated.

[0074] The control unit 21 has physically structured circuitry to perform functions realized by code or instructions contained within the program, and is realized, for example, by a data processing device built into the hardware. Therefore, the control unit 21 may or may not be described as a control circuit.

[0075] The control unit 21 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), and an FPGA (field programmable gate array).

[0076] The storage unit 28 has the function of storing various programs and data necessary for the operation of the terminal 20. The storage unit 28 includes various storage media such as HDD (hard disk drive), SSD (solid state drive), flash memory, RAM (random access memory), and ROM (read-only memory). The storage unit 28 may or may not be referred to as memory.

[0077] Terminal 20 stores program P in storage unit 28, and by executing program P, the control unit 21 executes the processing of each part included in the control unit 21. In other words, program P stored in storage unit 28 enables terminal 20 to realize the various functions executed by the control unit 21. Furthermore, this program P may or may not be described as a program module.

[0078] (2) Server hardware configuration Figure 1 shows an example of the hardware configuration of server 10. Server 10 includes, for example, a control unit 11 (CPU), a storage unit 15, a communication interface 14, an input / output unit 12, a display unit 13, and a clock unit 19. Each component of the server 10's hardware is interconnected, for example, via bus B. It should be noted that the server 10's hardware configuration does not necessarily include all components. For example, the server 10's hardware may be configured to exclude individual components or multiple components, or it may not.

[0079] The control unit 11 has physically structured circuitry to perform functions realized by code or instructions contained within the program, and is realized, for example, by a data processing device built into the hardware.

[0080] The control unit 11 is typically a central processing unit (CPU), but may also be a microprocessor, processor core, multiprocessor, ASIC, FPGA, or otherwise. In this disclosure, the control unit 11 is not limited to these.

[0081] The storage unit 15 has the function of storing various programs and data necessary for the operation of the server 10. The storage unit 15 is implemented using various storage media such as HDDs, SSDs, and flash memory. However, in this disclosure, the storage unit 15 is not limited to these. Also, the storage unit 15 may or may not be referred to as memory.

[0082] The communication interface 14 transmits and receives various types of data via the network 30. Communication may be performed via wired or wireless connections, and any communication protocol may be used as long as communication between the interfaces is possible. The communication interface 14 has the function of communicating with various devices, such as terminals 20, via the network 30. The communication interface 14 transmits various types of data to various devices, such as terminals 20, according to instructions from the control unit 11. The communication interface 14 also receives various types of data transmitted from various devices, such as terminals 20, and transmits them to the control unit 11. The communication interface 14 may also be simply referred to as the communication unit. Furthermore, if the communication interface 14 is composed of a physically structured circuit, it may be referred to as the communication circuit.

[0083] The input / output unit 12 includes devices for inputting various operations to the server 10, and devices for outputting processing results processed by the server 10. The input / output unit 12 may have an integrated input unit and an output unit, or it may have separate input and output units, or it may not have to be integrated.

[0084] The input unit is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of receiving user input and transmitting the information related to the input to the control unit 11. The input unit is typically implemented by hardware keys such as a keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse. The input unit may or may not include, for example, a touch panel, a camera (operation input via video), or a microphone (operation input via voice).

[0085] The output unit is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of outputting the processing results processed by the control unit 11. The output unit includes, for example, a touch panel, a touch display, a speaker (sound output), a lens (e.g., 3D output or hologram output), a printer, and the like.

[0086] This is just one example, but the input / output unit 12 may include, for instance, a display unit 13.

[0087] The display unit 13 is implemented by a display or the like. Typically, the display is implemented by a monitor (for example, a liquid crystal display or an OLED (organic electroluminescence display)). The display may also be a head-mounted display (HDM) or not. These displays may or may not be capable of displaying data in 3D. In this disclosure, the display is not limited to these.

[0088] The clock unit 19 is the built-in clock of the server 10 and outputs time information (timing information). The clock unit 19 is configured to include, for example, a hardware clock such as an RTC (Real Time Clock) or a system clock. The clock unit 19 can also be described as, for example, a timing unit or a time information detection unit.

[0089] (3) Others Server 10 stores program P in storage unit 15, and by executing program P, the control unit 11 performs the processing of each part included in the control unit 11. In other words, program P stored in storage unit 15 enables server 10 to realize each function executed by the control unit 11. This program P may or may not be described as a program module. The same applies to other devices.

[0090] Each embodiment of this disclosure is described as being realized by the CPU of terminal 20 and / or server 10 executing program P. The same applies to other devices.

[0091] Furthermore, the control unit 21 of terminal 20 and / or the control unit 11 of server 10 may implement each process not only with a CPU having a control circuit, but also with logic circuits (hardware) or dedicated circuits formed on an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (Large Scale Integration)), etc., or they may not. Also, these circuits may be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, and the multiple processes shown in each embodiment may be implemented by a single integrated circuit, or they may not. In addition, LSIs are sometimes called VLSI, Super LSI, Ultra LSI, etc., depending on the degree of integration. For this reason, the control unit 21 may or may not be described as a control circuit. The same applies to other devices.

[0092] Furthermore, the program P (e.g., a software program, a computer program, or a program module) of each embodiment of the present disclosure may or may not be provided stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium is a “non-temporary tangible medium” capable of storing the program P. Also, the program P may or may not be for the purpose of implementing some of the functions of each embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the program P may or may not be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the functions of each embodiment of the present disclosure in combination with a program P already recorded on the storage medium.

[0093] The storage medium may include one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical disks, optical disk drives (ODDs), magneto-optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid-state drives (SSDs), RAM drives, secure digital cards, or drives, any other suitable storage medium, or any two or more suitable combinations thereof. The storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, where appropriate. The storage medium is not limited to these examples and may be any device or medium capable of storing program P. The storage medium may or may not be referred to as memory.

[0094] The server 10 and / or terminal 20 can realize the functions of the multiple functional units shown in each embodiment by reading the program P stored in the storage medium and executing the read program P. The same applies to other devices.

[0095] Furthermore, the program P of this disclosure may or may not be provided to the server 10 and / or terminal 20 via any transmission medium capable of transmitting programs (such as a communication network or broadcast waves). The server 10 and / or terminal 20 realize the functions of the multiple functional units shown in each embodiment by executing the program P downloaded, for example, via the Internet. The same applies to other devices.

[0096] Furthermore, each embodiment of this disclosure can also be realized in the form of a data signal in which the program P is embodied by electronic transmission. At least part of the processing on server 10 and / or terminal 20 may or may not be implemented by cloud computing consisting of one or more computers. The configuration may be such that at least some or all of the processing on terminal 20 is performed by server 10, or it may not be so. In this case, the configuration may be such that at least some or all of the processing of each functional unit of the control unit 21 of terminal 20 is performed by server 10, or it may not be so. The configuration may be such that at least some or all of the processing in the server 10 is performed by the terminal 20, or it may not be so. In this case, the configuration may be such that at least some or all of the processing of each functional unit of the control unit 11 of the server 10 is performed by the terminal 20, or it may not be so. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the configuration of the determination in the embodiments of this disclosure is not mandatory, and a predetermined process may be performed if the determination condition is met, or if the determination condition is not met, or not.

[0097] The programs disclosed herein are implemented using, for example, scripting languages ​​such as ActionScript and JavaScript®, compiled languages ​​such as Objective-C and Java®, and markup languages ​​such as HTML Living Standard.

[0098] [Functional Configuration of Each Device] (1) Server Functional Configuration Figure 2 shows an example of a function implemented by the control unit 11 of the server 10 in this embodiment. The control unit 11 includes, for example, an application management processing unit 111 as a functional unit.

[0099] The application management processing unit 111 has the function of executing application management processing according to an application management processing program 151 stored in the storage unit 15, for example.

[0100] Figure 3 shows an example of the information stored in the storage unit 15 of the server 10 in this embodiment. The memory unit 15 stores, for example, an application management processing program 151 that is executed as an application management process, and account registration data 153.

[0101] The account registration data 153 is registration data related to an application account (in this embodiment, a messaging application), and an example of its data structure is shown in Figure 4. The account registration data 153 stores, for example, the username, application ID, and other registration information in association with each other.

[0102] The username is the name of the account on device 20 using this application. For example, the name registered by the user of device 20 when using the application is stored.

[0103] An application ID is information used to identify an application account, or the account itself. This application ID is preferably a unique value for each account, for example, a unique value (unique value) is set and stored for each account by the server 10. The Application ID is information associated with terminal 20 or the user of terminal 20, and is an example of information about the terminal or the user of the terminal.

[0104] Other registration information may include, for example, identification information to identify terminal 20, the phone number of terminal 20 (terminal phone number), email address (terminal email address), and authentication information such as passwords used for various authentications in the application (login password, authentication password, etc.).

[0105] Identification information for identifying terminal 20 can be, for example, a terminal ID (e.g., IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)).

[0106] For example, user information may be associated with and stored in other registration information.

[0107] Note that you may or may not use a "User ID" instead of an "Application ID". Also, if the application can only register one account per terminal 20, then for example, "Identification information for identifying terminal 20 = Identification information for identifying the user of terminal 20 = Application ID" can be used.

[0108] Furthermore, for example, it may or may not be possible to assign multiple terminal IDs to a single application ID. In this case, it may or may not be possible to launch the application simultaneously on multiple terminals 20 using a single application ID as the target for identification (login).

[0109] Furthermore, it is possible to apply a method of managing accounts using information such as the terminal's phone number instead of various IDs such as application IDs. In this case, instead of storing information such as the application ID in the account registration data 153, information such as the terminal phone number can be stored in the account registration data 153. Alternatively, the application ID information may be associated with the terminal phone number information on a one-to-one basis, or it may not be necessary to do so.

[0110] For the sake of simplicity, in the following embodiment, it will be assumed that one account is registered for each terminal 20. Furthermore, in this case, as described above, "identification information for identifying terminal 20 = identification information for identifying the user of terminal 20 = application ID," therefore, the term "user of the account" used in the following explanation may or may not be considered synonymous with "terminal of the account."

[0111] (2) Terminal Functional Configuration Figure 5 shows an example of a function realized by the control unit 21 of the terminal 20 in this embodiment. The control unit 21 includes, for example, an application processing unit 211 as a functional unit for executing application processing according to an application processing program 281 stored in the storage unit 28.

[0112] Figure 6 shows an example of data stored in the storage unit 28 of the terminal 20 in this embodiment. The memory unit 28 stores, for example, an application processing program 281 that is executed as application processing, and an application ID 283 that corresponds to the terminal 20 or the user account of the terminal 20.

[0113] <Display screen> The following describes examples of display screens. The screen transitions described below are merely examples of screen transitions for implementing the method of this disclosure. Some screens may be omitted or additional screens may be added to the screen transitions exemplified below. Furthermore, the terminology used in the display screens described below may differ from the terminology used in the processes described later (some terms may not be consistent).

[0114] In the following example, we will describe a case where terminal 20 is a tablet-type computer equipped with a horizontally oriented display unit 24. Terminal 20 may have, for example, a touch panel that functions as an input unit, positioned opposite its display, thereby forming a touchscreen. When an element such as an icon, button, item, or input area is displayed on the display, and a portion of the touch panel opposite the area on which the element is displayed is operated by the user, the program associated with that element or a subroutine of that program may be executed.

[0115] The following example illustrates the case where user AA's terminal 20A is the account to which the content is provided. In this example, content generation will be performed within an e-commerce application, and the application will be referred to as "E-commerce App" as an example. Furthermore, as mentioned above, content generation may be made possible within the messaging application. In this case as well, the same screen configuration may be used.

[0116] Figure 7 shows an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 24 of terminal 20A. As shown in Figure 7(a), the keyword display area 210 at the top of this screen displays icons containing keywords corresponding to various activities (sports, arts, etc.). Users can select an icon of an activity they are interested in from among these icons and view content related to that activity on terminal 20A.

[0117] For example, the keywords (icons) displayed in keyword display area 210 are those that have been frequently used as search terms in the past. The control unit 11 of the server 10 manages the number of searches for each search word (the search word and its search count are associated and stored in the storage unit 15), and the top predetermined number of search words with the most searches are represented as icons and displayed on the terminal 20A for the user to select.

[0118] Furthermore, users can not only select icons, but also directly input text about activities they are interested in into the text input field 211 located below the keyword display area 210, allowing them to view content related to those activities on terminal 20A. Therefore, even if an activity is not presented as an icon, users can still view content related to that activity.

[0119] Figure 7(b) shows an example of a question displayed on the display unit 24 based on selecting the "running" icon from the keyword display area 210 or entering "running" in the text input field 211. For example, the user is presented with multiple questions generated based on the entered keyword "running," along with answer choices for each question. The user answers (selects the option that best matches their criteria), and content based on the answer is generated on server 10.

[0120] In this example screen, the question display area 220 displays the first question, "What time of day do you run?", along with answer choices, and the second question, "What is the runner's gender?", along with answer choices. For each question, the user's selected option is sent to the server 10 as the answer.

[0121] For example, if you select "Tennis" from the keyword display area 210, the first question will display a question and answer options regarding "Type of tennis (hardball or softball)," and the second question will display a question and answer options regarding "Player's gender."

[0122] In this embodiment, based on the input of keywords (first information) related to an "activity" of interest to the user into terminal 20A, a question related to that "activity" is generated by server 10 and sent to terminal 20A. Based on the user AA's answer to the question, content including information that supports the "activity" (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "activity support content") is generated by server 10 as content related to the "activity" and sent to terminal 20A.

[0123] Figure 8 shows an example of the configuration of activity support content CT generated based on user responses. In this embodiment, the activity support content CT is content that includes a first content CTA generated based on user responses, and a second content CTB generated based on user responses and including at least product information.

[0124] In this example, the first content CTA is guidance generated based on the user's response, concerning the information entered by the user (type of activity). For example, it is content that systematically provides information on the rules, how to enjoy the activity, points to note, and what is needed for the activity (types of products to prepare).

[0125] In this example, the second content CTB is content that introduces the product group (specific manufacturer, product name, price, etc.) belonging to each product type required for the information (type of activity) entered by the user.

[0126] In other words, in this example, both the first content CTA and the second content CTB contain product information related to the activity (first information), but the second content CTB contains more detailed product information than the first content CTA. Furthermore, the second content CTB may be considered content with a higher proportion of product information (more product information) than the first content CTA.

[0127] Here, the first content CTA may not include product information (for example, it may only include the rules, how to enjoy the activity, and points to note, and not information about what is necessary for the activity (types of products that should be prepared for the activity)). In this way, the first content CTA only needs to be information related to the activity entered by the user (first information) that is generated based on the user's response. Furthermore, the second content CTB may be generated solely based on the user's activities (first information) before the question is generated, and may be generated without using questions or answers from the user. In this way, the second content CTB only needs to include product information related to the user's activities of interest, regardless of questions or answers.

[0128] In this example, the first content CTA and the second content CTB are consecutive, and the second content CTB is presented in a manner that it is added to the first content CTA. User AA can view the second content CTB by scrolling the first content CTA in the forward direction on terminal 20A. In other words, by scrolling the activity support content in the direction of content progression (for example, downwards on the screen) on terminal 20A, the content displayed on the display unit 24 transitions from the first content to the second content, and the first content and the second content are presented to user AA as a series of content.

[0129] Here, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may store the history of when a user has viewed the entirety of the first content CTA and the second content CTB (the history of when the activity support content CT was scrolled from beginning to end), associating it with the identification information (content ID) of the corresponding activity support content CT, the identification information of the first content CTA, the identification information of the second content CTB, etc., and manage the viewing rate for each piece of content and send the aggregated results to an administrator terminal (not shown). This makes it possible to understand what kind of content is easiest for users to view and to use this information to improve the content (improve the content generation method).

[0130] Furthermore, the first content CTA may include a link to the second content CTB. For example, in this example, based on the operation of tapping an item shown in the table of contents of the first content CTA (for example, "This is all you need to start with"), the display may transition from the table of contents to the second content CTB which contains an explanation of that item (the portion of the activity support content CTA displayed on the display unit 24 of terminal 20A changes due to scrolling).

[0131] In this case, when transitioning from a tapped item to the corresponding second content CTB, the content displayed on the device scrolls, allowing the user to recognize that the first content CTA and the second content CTB are integrated, and to confirm the information corresponding to the selected table of contents item (information in the second content CTB). Thus, based on the fact that the second content CTB is displayed by scrolling through the selection of a table of contents item (information in the first content CTA), it may be determined that both the first content CTA and the second content CTB of the activity support content CT have been viewed, and this may be stored as part of the overall viewing history. Furthermore, if the display time of the first content CTA is longer than a predetermined time, and the display time of the second content CTB is longer than a predetermined time, it may be determined that both the first content CTA and the second content CTB of the activity support content CT have been viewed, and this may be stored as part of the overall viewing history.

[0132] In this example, "running" is entered as the keyword (first information), and based on the answer "morning" to the question "What time of day do you run?" generated based on the keyword, "Morning Running Beginner's Guide" is generated as the first content CTA. In this example, the first content CTA is generated based on input from user AA regarding an activity they are interested in ("running") and their answer to a question (answer to the question "What time of day do you run?": "morning"). User AA can view content related to their interest in "running," such as "morning running," content that matches their answer, for example, points to keep in mind for "morning running," how to enjoy it, and the types of products needed.

[0133] In this example, "running" is entered as the keyword (first information), and based on the keyword, user AA answers "male" to the question "runner's gender," content is generated as the second content CTB, which introduces each product in the product group belonging to the product category "men's running shoes." In this example, the second content CTB is generated based on input about an activity that user AA is interested in ("running") and the answer to a question (answer to the question "runner's gender": "male"). User AA can understand what products are available for each product category used in their activity of interest, "running," based on their attribute information ("male"), such as men's running shoes and men's running wear.

[0134] In this example, each product in the "running shoes" category is introduced, and along with images of each running shoe (product images A1, A2, ...), the manufacturer, product name, price, comments, etc. are displayed. In this example, each product in the "running wear" category is introduced, and along with images of each running wear item (product images B1, B2, ...), the manufacturer's name, product name, price, comments, etc. are displayed. Thus, the second content CTB includes an introduction to product groups belonging to product categories related to the keyword (first information).

[0135] In this example, each product image included in the second content CTB has a purchase button BT for purchasing that product. When user AA taps the purchase button BT, a purchase page is displayed on the screen of the display unit 24 of terminal 20A, allowing the user to decide to purchase the product and complete the payment. In this way, each product image included in the second content CTB has a link to transition to the product purchase page, and the user can easily purchase the product by tapping the image of the product they wish to buy. User AA can purchase the product by entering the necessary information on the purchase page (information to confirm the purchase, information to authorize payment, etc.).

[0136] Here, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may store the history of users tapping the purchase button BT and the history of actual purchases made by tapping the purchase button BT (payment history), associating it with the identification information (content ID) of the corresponding activity support content CT, the identification information of the first content CTA, the identification information of the second content CTB, etc., manage the purchase operation rate (conversion rate) for each content, and send the aggregated results to an administrator terminal (not shown). This makes it possible to understand what kind of content makes it easier for users to perform purchase operations and to use this information to improve the content (improve the content generation method).

[0137] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 8, a regenerate button BTA ("Learn More") for regenerating the first content CTA is placed below the first content CTA. If user AA wants to view a first content CTA that provides different information from the currently displayed first content CTA regarding an activity (first information) that has already been entered, tapping the regenerate button BTA sends a first content regeneration request from terminal 20A to server 10. Based on the first content regeneration request, the control unit 11 of server 10 regenerates the first content CTA, which is then sent to terminal 20A and displayed on the display unit 24.

[0138] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 8, a regenerate button BTB ("I want to see other products") for regenerating the second content CTB is placed at the bottom of the second content CTB. If user AA wants to view a second content CTB that provides information different from the currently displayed second content CTB regarding the activity (first information) that user AA has already entered, (for example, (a) an introduction to a different product category and a group of products belonging to a different product category that is already displayed, or (b) a different group of products within the already displayed product category (for example, products from a manufacturer that was not introduced in the previous second content CTB)), tapping the regenerate button BTB sends a second content regeneration request from terminal 20A to server 10. Based on the second content regeneration request, the control unit 11 of server 10 regenerates the second content CTB, which is then sent to terminal 20A and displayed on the display unit 24.

[0139] In this example, we have described a case where a regeneration button BTA for the first content CTA and a regeneration button BTB for the second content CTB are provided separately. However, the system is not limited to this configuration. A common regeneration button may be provided for both contents, and when this common play button is tapped, a content regeneration request is sent from terminal 20A to server 10, and the entire activity support content CT is played back based on the content regeneration request (both the first content CTA and the second content CTB are regenerated).

[0140] <Processing> Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by each device in this embodiment. In this figure, from left to right, an example of processing performed by the control unit 21 of user AA's terminal 20A is shown, followed by an example of processing performed by the control unit 11 of server 10. The processes described below are merely examples of processes for implementing the method of this disclosure, and are not limited to these. Additionally, you may add other steps to the process described below, or omit (delete) some steps from the process described below.

[0141] First, based on the fact that user AA has entered first information about an activity of interest into terminal 20A (A110), the control unit 21 of terminal 20A transmits the acquired first information to server 10 (A120). The first piece of information is not limited to the activity name itself (e.g., running), but may also be a string containing the activity name, such as "I want to start running." Alternatively, it may be a string that does not contain the activity name, such as "I want to start morning exercise" or "I want to start an exercise I can do every day," but is highly relevant to running. In this case, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may generate a prompt based on the input first piece of information (e.g., "Tell me about popular morning exercises"), and obtain a specific activity name (e.g., "running") output by inputting the generated prompt into the question-answering model.

[0142] The control unit 11 of the server 10 performs a question generation process based on the first information (based on the first information itself, the activity name included in the first information, and the activity name obtained based on the first information) (S110). For example, a prompt such as "Create questions and answer candidates for a user starting <activity name>" is generated, and the generated prompt is input to a question-answering model to obtain questions for user AA and their answer candidates. From the multiple questions and answer candidates output, questions related to items required for <activity name> (for example, questions about user AA's gender, activity history, and size) and answer candidates may be selected. The generated questions and answer candidates are then sent to terminal 20A (S120). Note that the user's response method is not limited to selecting from answer candidates; it may also be a method where the user directly enters the answer in the answer input field. In this case, the control unit 11 of server 10 generates the questions, but does not generate the answer candidates.

[0143] When the control unit 21 of terminal 20A receives a question and a candidate answer, it displays the received question and candidate answer on the display unit 24 (A1130). When user AA enters an answer to the question, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A sends the entered answer to the server 10 (A140).

[0144] When the server 10 receives a response from terminal 20A, the control unit 11 generates a first prompt, for example, "Please tell me the reasons and precautions for recommending <activity name>", and inputs the generated first prompt into the question answering model to obtain the output content as the first content CTA (S130). Then, it sends the generated first content CTA to terminal 20A (S140). When the control unit 21 of terminal 20A receives a first content CTA, it displays the received first content CTA on the display unit 24 (A150). User AA can view the first content CTA which contains guidance information for activities of interest to them.

[0145] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 generates a second prompt, for example, "Tell me the items needed for <activity name> and recommend some products," and acquires the content output by inputting the generated second prompt into the question answering model as the second content CTB (S150). Then, it sends the generated second content CTA to the terminal 20A (S160). Note that "<activity name> items needed" may be included in the first prompt as well as the second prompt, and the first content CTA may include an introduction to the types of products needed for the activity.

[0146] When the control unit 21 of terminal 20A receives the second content CTB, it displays the received second content CTB on the display unit 24 (A160). User AA can view the second content CTB which contains product information for activities of interest to them, and for example, can check the types of products required for the activity and the product groups for each type of product.

[0147] The control unit 11 of the server 10 completes the activity support content CT by adding the generated second content CTB to the first content CTA which has been generated. Here, when the first content CTA is generated, the control unit 11 of the server 10 sends the first content CTA to the terminal 20A in advance, even if the creation of the second content CTB is not yet complete. This allows user AA to view the first content CTA without waiting, even if the second content CTB is still being generated and the entire activity support content CT is not yet complete. Then, based on the fact that the creation of the second content CTB is complete, terminal 20A receives the updated (completed) activity support content CT, and it becomes possible to view the entire activity support content CT, which is a combination of the first content CT1 and the second content CT2.

[0148] The first content may include image content or video content in addition to text content. The second content may also include video content. If the content includes video content, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may, for example, generate one or more still images related to the first information (activity) input by user AA, and then generate a video based on the generated still images. Alternatively, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may, for example, generate a video by combining scenes from a video related to the first information (activity). For video generation, a video generation model such as Sora, Make-A-Video, or Imagen may be used.

[0149] The search source for generating images or videos to be included in the content may be, for example, a database pre-stored in the storage unit 15 of server 10, or any database on the internet. The search source for images, etc., may also be, for example, a server of an image stock service partnered with the server 10 operator. The images, etc., to be searched may be UGC (User Generated Content) posted by users to image sharing services, etc.

[0150] The first and second contents may be content without sound output (content where the user views images, content where the user reads text), or they may be content with sound output (for example, a video with audio or music). If the first or second contents include text, audio corresponding to the displayed text may be output.

[0151] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may generate content based on the location calculation information calculated by the location calculation information detection unit 29B of the terminal 20A. For example, by obtaining the location of the terminal 20A, the first content CTA may be generated to include activity bases corresponding to the location information (e.g., running courses near user AA's address) in the first content. In addition, the second content CTB may be generated to include product information corresponding to the climate of user AA's address (e.g., lightweight running wear for warm regions, heavy running wear for cold regions).

[0152] Furthermore, if the terminal 20A performs a regeneration operation for the first content CTA, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may, for example, generate a first prompt such as "Tell me other reasons for recommending <activity name>", input the generated first prompt into the question answering model, reacquire the output content as the first content CTA (S130), and resend it to the terminal 20A (S140). Furthermore, if the regeneration operation for the second content CTB is performed on terminal 20A, the control unit 11 of server 10 may generate a second prompt, for example, "Tell me the other items needed for <activity name> and any recommended products," input the generated second prompt into the question answering model, reacquire the output content as the second content CTB (S150), and retransmit it to terminal 20A (S160).

[0153] <Effects of the First Example> According to this embodiment, the server 10 generates a question based on first information about the user's interests entered into the terminal 20 and sends it to the terminal 20, generates first content based on the user's answer to the question, generates second content including product information related to the first information, and sends the first content and the second content to the terminal 20. This makes it possible to comprehensively provide the user with advice on activities of interest to the user and product information on products used in those activities. Compared to simply providing product information, this increases the user's interest in the activities themselves, promotes actual activities, and encourages the purchase of related products.

[0154] <Example (1)> In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the control unit 11 of the server 10 generates questions and answer candidates by inputting prompts into the question answering model. However, the embodiment is not limited to this form, and multiple questions and answer candidates (for example, questions related to products required for the activity and answer candidates corresponding to those questions) may be prepared in advance in association with each activity, and one or more questions and answer candidates associated with the activity identified based on the first information may be selected and sent to the terminal 20. Thus, the questions and answer candidates are not limited to those generated by the model; they may also be selected from a pre-prepared set, and can be created (determined) by the control unit using either method.

[0155] <Example (2)> In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the control unit 11 of the server 10 generates the first content by inputting a prompt into the question answering model. However, the system is not limited to this form. Multiple candidates for the first content may be prepared in advance in association with each activity, and a candidate related to the user's answer may be sent to the terminal 20 as the first content. Furthermore, although the above embodiment described an example in which the control unit 11 of the server 10 generates second content by inputting a prompt into the question answering model, the system is not limited to this form. Multiple candidates for second content may be prepared in advance in association with each activity, and a candidate related to the user's answer (e.g., gender) may be sent to the terminal 20 as second content. Thus, the first and second contents are not limited to those obtained by generating them using a model; they may also be selected from a pre-prepared set, and can be created (determined) by the control unit using either method.

[0156] <Other> Furthermore, at least some of the processing that the server 10 is supposed to perform in the above embodiments may be performed by the terminal 20. Conversely, at least some of the processing that the terminal 20 is supposed to perform in the above embodiments may be performed by the server 10.

[0157] Furthermore, the processing described in the above embodiments may be implemented by a single server, or the processing described in the above embodiments may be implemented by a server system consisting of multiple servers, with each server handling a portion of the processing.

[0158] For example, a system consisting of one or more servers may be defined as a server system, and the server of the present invention may be considered a server system. Furthermore, for example, the server system may consist of an information processing device, an image generation device, and a language generation device.

[0159] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the server for distributing various applications (the server from which terminal 20 downloads applications) may be configured as a different server from the server that provides the corresponding services (applications). In other words, the server for distributing applications and the server that performs the application management processing described in the above embodiments may be configured as physically separate servers, or they may be configured as a single server.

[0160] Furthermore, the term "application" may include not only programs for various applications, but also programs that provide the functionality of other services as a function of the underlying application (for example, a program that provides the functionality of an advertising delivery service as a function of a messaging application, or vice versa), and programs for updating the underlying application. It may also include data used by application programs (which may include data for application updates, etc.).

[0161] Furthermore, while the above embodiments describe, for example, a method of realizing the present invention using a client-server system, the invention is not limited to this. As mentioned above, it may also be realized by a distributed system or other system in which the functions of a server or server system are provided to the terminal 20. For example, the processing described in the flowchart described in the above embodiments as being performed by a server or server system may be performed by the terminal.

[0162] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the contents described in each of the above embodiments, each of the modifications, other embodiments, and so on can be combined and applied accordingly. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0163] 1: Communication system 10: Server 20: Terminal

Claims

1. A program executed by a server that communicates with the user's terminal, Based on the first information concerning the user's interests entered into the terminal, the control unit of the server creates a question concerning the first information. The control unit transmits the aforementioned question to the terminal, Based on the user's response to the question transmitted from the terminal, the control unit creates first content relating to the first information. The control unit creates a second content containing product information related to the first information, The control unit transmits the first content and the second content to the terminal, A program that includes this.

2. The program according to claim 1, The first content and the second content include the product information, The first content includes a description of the product type related to the first information, The second content includes an introduction to the product group for each of the aforementioned product types, program.

3. The program according to claim 2, The aforementioned first content does not include links to sites for purchasing the aforementioned product. The second content includes a link to a site for purchasing the aforementioned product. program.

4. The program according to claim 1, Based on the completion of the creation of the first content, the control unit transmits the first content to the terminal before the completion of the creation of the second content. program.

5. The program according to claim 4, Based on the completion of the creation of the second content, the control unit transmits the second content to the terminal in a manner in which the second content has been added to the first content. program.

6. The program according to claim 1, After the transmission of the first content, the control unit recreates the first content based on the user input of the terminal. After the transmission of the second content, the control unit recreates the second content based on the user input of the terminal. A program that includes this.

7. A method for processing information on a server that communicates with a user's terminal, Based on the first information concerning the user's interests entered into the terminal, the control unit of the server creates a question concerning the first information. The control unit transmits the aforementioned question to the terminal, Based on the user's response to the question transmitted from the terminal, the control unit creates first content relating to the first information. The control unit creates a second content containing product information related to the first information, The control unit transmits the first content and the second content to the terminal, Information processing methods, including those mentioned above.

8. A server that communicates with the user's terminal, A control unit that, based on first information relating to the user's interests input into the terminal, creates a question relating to the first information, transmits the question to the terminal, creates first content relating to the first information based on the user's answer to the question transmitted from the terminal, creates second content including product information of products related to the first information, and transmits the first content and the second content to the terminal. A server equipped with the following features.

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